Cannibal Corpse was formed in 1988 by members of the bands Beyond Death (Webster, Owen), Leviathan (Barnes), and Tirant Sin (all from Buffalo) (Barnes, Rusay, Mazurkiewicz). In April 1989, the band performed their first show at Buffalo's River Rock Cafe, shortly after recording Cannibal Corpse, a five-song demo tape. The band was signed to Metal Blade Records a year after that first gig, presumably after the label heard a demo sent in by the manager of the record store where Chris Barnes worked, and their full-length debut album, Eaten Back to Life, was released in August 1990. 1)
Cannibal Corpse has reportedly sold over 2 million albums worldwide. Metal Blade Records presented each band member with a plaque to commemorate the landmark achievement prior to a recent show in California. The band's 13 studio albums (all on Metal Blade) have sold a total of 2 million copies since their 1990 debut Eaten Back to Life to A Skeletal Domain. 2)
The band's first four albums were banned in Germany until 2006 due to their cover art and lyrical content, and Cannibal Corpse was prohibited from performing material from these albums live. They are still banned in Australia and Russia. 3)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective released in 1994 with Jim Carrey, who is a huge fan of Cannibal Corpse, features the band performing Hammer Smashed Face in one scene. 4)
Adult Swim's Metalocalypse features current vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher as Nathan Explosion, who took over for current Six Feet Under singer Chris Barnes in 1995. 5)