He's produced six Cannibal Corpse albums--starting with 2006's Kill--and this is Rutan's second release as a full-fledged member, since officially joining in 2020. " He already was part of the Cannibal Corpse family, so his transition from producer to guitarist/songwriter/producer was seamless," says Webster. " Erik's a super hard worker so somehow he's able to do all of those things at the highest level. We were already very comfortable working with him, and it's only gotten better. We're energized and excited about the future, and Erik's contributions are a big part of that." The band have always been noted for technicality and complex songwriting, but that doesn't define where the writing process takes them. " I believe that our songwriting has progressed in a manner where every song paves its own path, whether it's a straightforward or technical song. Sometimes it's a mix of both, so there's no preconceived idea that we want to be more technical. The music just sort of takes its own course," explains guitarist Rob Barrett. Adds Rutan, " I feel like every album we've worked on together has progressed forward with a better understanding of each other, allowing us to push each other even further to get the best out of one another." Since 1988, Cannibal Corpse have been at the forefront of death metal, shaping and defining the genre, creating a seminal, incomparable body of work over the following decades. In 2021 they raised the stakes again with their 15th album, Violence Unimagined, growing ever more complex and intense, and in 2023 they return with its successor, the equally monstrous Chaos Horrific, starting a new chapter in their legacy. Written shortly after the conclusion of the Violence Unimagined sessions (due to the pandemic keeping them off tour), echoes of that album exist in Chaos Horrific, but this is a whole new beast of its own. " To me this album feels sort of like a continuation of Violence Unimagined. The style is quite similar, but individually none of the songs on Chaos Horrific sound like songs on Violence Unimagined," says bassist Alex Webster. " It's a full-on death metal album, Cannibal Corpse style."