I'm not going to try and defend Cannibal Corpse, who are rock 'n roll shock schlock clowns in death metal clothing. In any event, metal general (and death metal in particular) has always been sensitive to what sociologist Deena Weinstein called "themes of chaos." What metal stresses above all else is the basic structure of reality (even when approached metaphorically): as Hellhammer reminded us in the liner notes of the seminal Apocalyptic Raids ep, "Only death is real." What death metal does, is rip death from the hands of the fear mongers and moralizers, for whom it is both a taboo to be forgotten and a whip with which to drive the fearful, and place it back in its true context as the simple consequence of living. It's an implicit embrace of the joy of life itself: strip away the fear of death and artificial constructs like "good" and "evil," and you're left simply with a life to be enjoyed and lived to its fullest. Without fear. Without hesitation. Without the need to cater to the whims and desires of fools who still haven't conquered their fear of death (i.e. the fear of living). It isn't for the weak, but who cares about them? Their lives, lived in the shadow of existential dread, have neither meaning nor value. Sweep them aside so that the best might live better.