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The Anthropocene Extinction
Studio album by Cattle Decapitation
Released	August 7, 2015 (2015-08-07)
Recorded	January–February 2015
Studio	Flatline Audio, Westminster, CO
Genre	Technical death metal, deathgrind
Length	46:14
Label	Metal Blade
Producer	Dave Otero
Cattle Decapitation chronology
Monolith of Inhumanity (2012) The Anthropocene Extinction (2015) Death Atlas (2019)
Singles from The Anthropocene Extinction
"Cannibalistic Invasivorism" Released: June 19, 2015

The Anthropocene Extinction is the sixth studio album by American death metal band Cattle Decapitation. It was released on August 7, 2015, on Metal Blade Records. It became Cattle Decapitation's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, debuting at No. 100 (No. 44 on "Top Albums").

Lyrical concept

The previous record, Monolith of Inhumanity, dealt with the future of Earth, if mankind keeps its current style of life. The Anthropocene Extinction deals with the results of mankind's influence on the environment, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	86/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com
Exclaim!	9/10
Metal Hammer
MetalSucks
Sputnikmusic	3.1/5
Ultimate Guitar	8.7/10

The album received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on four critics, the album has received a score of 86/100, which indicates "universal acclaim". Reviews particularly praised Travis Ryan's vocal performance, with Exclaim! writing that "Littered throughout the wasteland of gurgling growls and shrill shrieks that fill The Anthropocene Extinction are the snarls that the vocalist experimented with on 2012's Monolith of Inhumanity, a sort of pseudo-singing that just might be more unsettling than his more traditional death metal scream, and which showcases his impressive range."

About.com praised the variety and songwriting on the album, praising the band's attention to detail: "Cattle Decapitation write albums, a quality that allows each song to fit within the entire grand vision. An interlude like 'The Burden of Seven Billion' may seem like filler, but its placement allows a reprise from a first half of life-draining potency. A similar claim follows the gloomy 'Ave Exitium', which follows in the vein of 'The Harvest Floor' and 'The Monolith' as a haunting intro to a momentous closer in 'Pacific Grim'."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Travis Ryan; all music is composed by Cattle Decapitation

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

Cattle Decapitation

• Travis Ryan – vocals, keyboards, drums on "Ave Exitium"
• Josh Elmore – guitars
• Dave McGraw – drums
• Derek Engemann – bass, additional gang vocals on "The Prophets of Loss", keyboards and drums on "The Burden of Seven Billion"

Guest musicians

• Philip H. Anselmo – narration on "The Prophets of Loss"

Additional musicians

• Author & Punisher – intro of "Plagueborne"
• Jürgen Bartsch (Bethlehem) – spoken word on "Pacific Grim"

Production

• Dave Otero – production, mixing, mastering
• Shane Howard – engineering assistance

Artwork and design

• Wes Benscoter – album artwork, photo editing
• Brian Ames – album layout
• Sam Lanthrem – photography
• Denise Ryan – photography
• Zach Cordner – photography
• Travis Ryan – art direction, concept

Studio

• Flatline Audio, Westminster, Colorado – production, mixing, mastering

Charts

References

1. "Stream Cattle Decapitation's New Flexi Disc "Cannibalistic Invasivorism"". Decibel. September 5, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
2. ^ Staff writer(s) (May 20, 2015). "CATTLE DECAPITATION To Release 'The Anthropocene Extinction' This August Via Metal Blade Records" (Press release). Metal Blade Records. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
3. The Anthropocene Extinction at Metacritic
4. Marsicano, Dan. "Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction Review". heavymetal.about.com. About.com. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
5. Zorgdrager, Bradley (August 5, 2015). "Cattle Decapitation The Anthropocene Extinction". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
6. Dare, Tom (July 21, 2015). "Cattle Decapitation: The Anthropocene Extinction". Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
7. Rothmund, David Lee (August 7, 2015). "Album Review: The Extinction of Cattle Decapitation". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
8. K., Elijah (August 12, 2015). "Review: Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction". www.sputnikmusic.com. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
9. Quigley, Joseph (August 7, 2015). "The Anthropocene Extinction Review". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
10. The Anthropocene Extinction (liner notes). Cattle Decapitation. Metal Blade Records. 2015.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
12. 14, 2015/131/ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
13. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
14. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
15. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
16. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
17. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
18. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
19. "Cattle Decapitation Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.

External links

• The Anthropocene Extinction at AllMusic
• The Anthropocene Extinction at Metal Blade

• 2015 albums
• Albums produced by Dave Otero
• Albums recorded at Flatline Audio
• Albums with cover art by Wes Benscoter
• Cattle Decapitation albums
• 2010s German-language albums
• Metal Blade Records albums
• Albums about climate change
• Environmental songs
• Anthropocene