BY MAUI CABRAL “Ace Ventura would be so proud.” Youuu don’t buy meeee FLOOooowerrrssss!!! If you know, you know. Only the true Jim Carrey...
BY MAUI CABRAL
“Ace Ventura would be so proud.” Youuu don’t buy meeee FLOOooowerrrssss!!! If you know, you know. Only the true Jim Carrey fans will catch that one. And what’s that got to do with this? Well, everything.
Because we're talking about Cannibal Corpse, a band so iconic that even Hollywood couldn’t ignore their chaos. That unforgettable scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective where Jim Carrey storms through a mosh pit and ends up on stage with the band wasn’t just a cameo, it was the moment death metal went mainstream. For the first time, the world saw the sheer madness and energy that this genre could bring.
And here we are, decades later, at The Ritz Raleigh, where that same energy still thrives... louder, heavier, and more alive than ever.
Before the legends took the stage, the night kicked off with Fulci, an Italian death metal outfit named after horror filmmaker Lucio Fulci. Their set felt like a tribute to everything grotesque and beautiful about horror. Thick, cinematic riffs dripping with atmosphere. Dark lighting with a red undertone to really set the mood yet scare us photographers lol. The crowd was just waking up, but you could already feel that fire starting to burn.
Next came Full of Hell, a group I’ve had the privilege of shooting before. Their sound is pure controlled chaos, a mix of grindcore and noise that doesn’t just hit your ears, it hits your chest, your bones, your pulse. Tonight felt different--heavier, faster, like they were feeding off the crowd’s anticipation.
Then Municipal Waste charged the stage, bringing that perfect blend of thrash and punk that makes you want to jump, shove, and laugh all at once. Their set was pure adrenaline cardboard boxes, beer flying, pits spinning, and every riff reminding you why live music is sacred.
And then it happened… Cannibal Corpse emerged. The roar that came from the crowd wasn’t just excitement. It was respect.
This is a band that’s carried death metal on its shoulders for over 30 years. Formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, they’ve become the blueprint for brutality itself. Their sound--relentless, precise, and unapologetically grotesque--shaped generations of metalheads and inspired countless bands across the globe.
You could feel that history in the room. The crowd wasn’t just one generation. It was a mix of all of them. Old-school thrash metal fans with denim vests and patches that had seen more mosh pits than most of us have birthdays. Younger fans, eyes wide, necks sore witnessing their first taste of true death metal carnage. And everyone in between, united under the banner of distortion and chaos.
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s voice tore through the venue like a beast unleashed, his signature windmill headbanging never once slowing down. Every growl, every riff, every blast beat hit like a freight train. When they launched into “Hammer Smashed Face,” the energy was electric. The kind of song that reminds you why this band defined the genre.
Cannibal Corpse isn’t just another metal band. They are the foundation of extreme music. They took something dark and underground, and turned it into a movement. A sound that refuses to die, fueled by the fans who’ve been there since day one and the new ones just joining the madness.
This wasn’t just another show at The Ritz. It was history screaming through amplifiers. It was chaos with purpose. It was metal in its purest form.
And somewhere out there Jim Carrey’s still proud & Still deserves FLooooooOOOOweerrrrrrrs!
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- JOSH "MAUI" CABRAL
Hey! I'm Maui. Originally from Queens, New York, now making Raleigh, NC my new home. I'm a touring photographer and Nomadic Motorcycle Rider, obsessed with seeing the world through different lenses!
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