Cattle Decapitation

Meat-hating death/grind metal band Cattle Decapitation was formed in San Diego in 1996, by two then-members of big time art hardcore band the Locust, bassist Dave Astor and drummer Gabe Serbian. Astor eventually left the Locust for Cattle Decapitation and Serbian eventually left Cattle Decapitation for the Locust. Astor himself quit CP in 2002 and the band, with a guy from 7000 Dying Rats (Josh Elmore) on guitar, the drummer from Creation is Crucifixion replacing Astor and two totally unrelated dudes on bass and vocals, soldiered on. Still with us? Why? Anyway, the band's music has evolved over the years from hardcore-y, joke-laden grind to a more straight death metal with throaty puke-vocals and the occasional Slayer solo. Lyrics and album art detail the band's stance on meat-eating (anti), the meat industry (it sucks) and humanity in general (also sucks). After a pair of late-'90s Three One G releases (Justin Pearson of the Locust's label), the four piece signed to Metal Blade in 2002. Accordingly, their 2006 album, Karma, Bloody Karma, is geared more toward actual metal fans than when they were living in the shadow of the Locust.