Review CANCER “Inverted World”

Cancer are among the pioneers of British death metal. Formed in 1987, the band released four longplayers that had an influential impact on the genre before the band broke up in 1996. The band reformed a few years later, and their next reunion took place in 2013. “Shadow Gripped” was a brilliant return album and now “Inverted World” is supposed to pick up where Cancer left off with the previous full-length release.

However, a few things have changed between then and now. Still driven by the remaining founding member John Walker, the rest of the line-up has changed completely. With Daniel Maganto, Gabriel Valcázar and Robert Navajas, Walker has added three new companions to the line-up, and if anyone was afraid of Cancer losing its power the answer is no.

“Enter the Gates” is the massive opener. It’s a hard-hitting headbanger, kept at a moderate pace, but delivered with sledgehammer intensity. It is the tone setter for the album which contains nine more neck challengers, with “Until They Died” being the next. Cancer change gears as the song kicks off furiously. It is an up-tempo death metal storm and what makes this smashing metal song even better are the smartly integrated tempo changes.

John Walker and his bandmates stick to the Cancer trademarks. There’s the title track with a chorus that expresses pure evil, and there’s not a moment on this album that gives you a chance to recover. Song after song bursts out of the speakers, with the short and dense “Test Side” being another straightforward death metal treat. Roaring death metal with some small thrash metal moments, that’s what “Amputate” reflects, followed by “When Killing isn’t Murder.” The latter starts slow and intense with a riff that immediately grabs your attention. Kept in mid-tempo again, the song exhales steamroller intensity. With a hypnotic repetition of the main theme, the song contains some breaks that create a special momentum. This includes the more melodic solo part in the second half.

Compared to all the previous songs, “Covert Operations” is a racing death metal blast. It is a relentless riff assault that leads you to “Jesus for Eugenics”. The acoustic start of the latter is an out of the ordinary moment on the album, but what remains is the evil grin that runs through the album as a common theme. The song builds up and progresses to another highlight on the album, and I found myself thinking of Celtic Frost while listening to this blasting death metal tune.

The beginning of “Corrosive” also means that we are getting to the end of “Inverted World.” In line with what we have heard so far, the closer also reflects the massive riff power of the previous songs with the evil screams in the chorus being the little extra.

Cancer in 2025 has undergone some changes in the line-up. But since John Walker is still in charge of the musical direction, the band sticks to its signature sound of heaviness before filigree. At the same time, the album features twists and turns that keep the excitement alive from start to finish. Cancer is still one of the greats of death metal and “Inverted World” tells you why.