Hammer Smashed Face

Hammer Smashed Face
Hammer Smashed Face
EP by Cannibal Corpse
Released	March 23, 1993
Recorded	January 1993 – Niagara Falls, New York
Genre	Death metal
Length	26:17
Label	Metal Blade
Producer	Dennis Fura; Cannibal Corpse;
Cannibal Corpse chronology
Single version
	Cover for the single version of "Hammer Smashed Face", which was originally from the album Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
Audio
	"Hammer Smashed Face" on YouTube

Hammer Smashed Face is the debut EP and single by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 23, 1993 by Metal Blade Records.

There are two versions of the release, a single version that features the title song "Hammer Smashed Face" with two covers of songs by Black Sabbath and Possessed, and the EP version which includes the three tracks of the single version along with two original Cannibal Corpse tracks. The single version and the EP version both have different cover artwork.

Background

Unlike most releases by the band, the album's artwork was not created by longtime collaborator Vincent Locke. Cannibal Corpse did not approve the album artwork that was used in the final product and do not know the name of the artist who produced it.^[1]

Reception

"Hammer Smashed Face" is the band's most popular song, mainly due to a shortened version appearing in the 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.^[2] Since it is included on Tomb of the Mutilated, it was banned from Germany until June 2006, when it was played at a 2006 performance at Essen.

When asked if he had a favorite Cannibal Corpse album, singer Chris Barnes described the Hammer Smashed EP as "one of the underrated ones".^[3] Barnes also hailed the group's cover of Black Sabbath's "Zero the Hero" as "one of the greatest".^[3]

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 93 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.^[4]

Track listing

EP version
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hammer Smashed Face"	4:04
2.	"The Exorcist" (Possessed cover)	4:37
3.	"Zero the Hero" (Black Sabbath cover)	6:35
4.	"Meat Hook Sodomy"	5:47
5.	"Shredded Humans"	5:12
Total length:		26:17

Single version
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hammer Smashed Face"	4:04
2.	"The Exorcist" (Possessed cover)	4:37
3.	"Zero the Hero" (Black Sabbath cover)	6:35
Total length:		15:17

Personnel

Cannibal Corpse

Chris Barnes – vocals
Bob Rusay – guitars
Jack Owen – guitars
Alex Webster – bass
Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums

Production

Scott Burns, Dennis Fura and Cannibal Corpse – producer

References

^ "The Moshville Times - Interview Archive: Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse)". The Moshville Times. April 1, 2013.
^ J. Purcell, Natalie (2003). Death Metal music: the passion and politics of a subculture. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 0786415851.
^ ^a ^b Morgan, Anthony (June 2007). ""Ghosts of the Undead" – Six Feet Under vocalist Chris Barnes delivers ten bludgeons of his philosophical hatchet with seventh record Commandment". Lucem Fero. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
^ "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 March 2023.

[1] "The Moshville Times - Interview Archive: Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse)". The Moshville Times. April 1, 2013.

[2] J. Purcell, Natalie (2003). Death Metal music: the passion and politics of a subculture. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 0786415851.

[ChrisBarnesLucemFero-3] Morgan, Anthony (June 2007). ""Ghosts of the Undead" – Six Feet Under vocalist Chris Barnes delivers ten bludgeons of his philosophical hatchet with seventh record Commandment". Lucem Fero. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-30.

[4] "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 March 2023.

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