Cancer (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 in Ironbridge, Shropshire, England |
| Founder | Carl Stokes, John Walker, Ian Buchanan |
| Headquarters | Ironbridge , England |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Studio albums, EPs, demos |
Cancer is a British extreme metal group that originated in Ironbridge, Shropshire, in 1988. Over their career, they have produced six studio albums, one of which was released through the major label East West. The band experienced two periods of disbandment, first in 1996 and again in 2006, before reuniting in 2013.
Formation and To the Gory End era (1988–1990)
The band Cancer was established in 1988 at the Tontine pub in Ironbridge by drummer Carl Stokes, guitarist John Walker, and bassist Ian Buchanan. Their initial demo tape, titled No Fuckin' Cover, was recorded at Pits studio in Birmingham, with production by Stevie Young and engineering by "Big" Mick Hughes. Early live gigs included supporting Bomb Disneyland as well as performances alongside Bolt Thrower, Cerebral Fix, and GBH.
In 1989, they released a second demo and a bootleg live album called Bloodbath in the Acid, recorded at Wrexham Memorial Hall. After signing with Vinyl Solution, Cancer recorded their debut full-length album To the Gory End during a four-day session at Loco Studios in Usk during the winter of 1989. The mixing was handled by Scott Burns at Morrisound Studios, featuring guest backing vocals from John Tardy of Obituary on the track "Die, Die". The album was released in April 1990 and supported by tours with Obituary and Deicide.
Death Shall Rise and The Sins of Mankind period (1991–1993)
Work on their sophomore album commenced at Reel to Reel Studios in Telford under engineer Tony Higley. Subsequently, Death Shall Rise was recorded in February 1991 at Morrisound Studios in Florida with Scott Burns producing. James Murphy (known from Agent Steel and Obituary) contributed lead guitar parts while Glen Benton of Deicide added backing vocals on "Hung, Drawn and Quartered". Released in April 1991, this album sparked controversy due to its provocative cover art, leading to a ban in Germany. It was later placed at number 27 on Terrorizer magazine’s list of Top 40 Death Metal Albums. Following its release, Cancer toured the UK with Unleashed and Desecrator before returning to the US for the Milwaukee Metal Festival and tours supporting Deicide and Obituary.
After James Murphy departed in December 1991 to start Disincarnate, Barry Savage took over lead guitar duties. The band then embarked on extensive tours spanning the US, Mexico, Israel, and Europe. In December 1992, they recorded their third album The Sins of Mankind with Simon Efemey at Windings Studios in Wrexham. Released by Vinyl Solution in June 1993, the band toured Europe alongside Cerebral Fix. Following drummer Carl Stokes’ motorcycle accident, Nick Barker—who later joined Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir—stepped in for live performances.
Signing with East West and hiatus (1994–1996)
In 1994, Cancer secured a worldwide distribution deal with major label East West Records, becoming among the first death metal acts to sign with a major company. Their fourth album Black Faith was recorded at Great Linford Studios in Milton Keynes with Simon Efemey producing; mixing occurred at Britannia Row Studios, famously associated with Pink Floyd. Notably, Stokes reportedly used a human thigh bone as a percussion instrument on the track "Temple Song". The album received mixed reactions: some critics compared it to mid-era Metallica while others dismissed it as an inferior version of Carcass’s Heartwork. After a short European tour supporting Meshuggah, Cancer disbanded again due to frustrations with industry skepticism and what they described as "Major Label Bullshit".
Reunion (2013–present)
On 12 September 2013, Cancer declared the reassembly of their original members to support the reissues of their first three records (To the Gory End, Death Shall Rise, and The Sins of Mankind), which were reissued that year by Cyclone Empire Records. Their reunion included plans to perform at festivals, exclusively playing tracks from these albums.
By 22 September 2015, Cancer announced they were developing new songs. In July 2018, they secured a contract with Peaceville Records and unveiled their album Shadow Gripped, released on 2 November 2018, marking their first studio release in over a decade. Their forthcoming album, titled Inverted World, is set for release on 25 April 2025.
Members
- Current line-up
- John Walker – vocals, guitar (1987–1996, 2003–2006, 2013–present)
- Robert Navajas – guitar (2024–present)
- Daniel Maganto – bass (2022–present)
- Gabriel Valcázar – drums (2022–present)
- Former members
- Ian Buchanan – bass (1987–1996, 2013–2022)
- Carl Stokes – drums (1987–1996, 2003–2006, 2013–2022)
- James Murphy – guitar (1991)
- Barry Savage – guitar (1992–1996, 2013–2014)
- Adam Richardson – bass (2003–2006)
- Rob Engvikson – guitar (2003–2004)
- Dave Leitch – guitar (2004–2006)
- Migueloud – guitar (2022−2024)
- Touring members
- Nick Barker – drums (1993)
- Alberto Garcia – guitar (2024)
Timeline
Studio albums
- To the Gory End (Vinyl Solution, 1990)
- Death Shall Rise (Vinyl Solution, 1991)
- The Sins of Mankind (Vinyl Solution, 1993)
- Black Faith (East West, 1995)
- Spirit in Flames (Copro, 2005)
- Shadow Gripped (Peaceville Records, 2018)
- Inverted World (Peaceville Records, 2025)
EPs
- Corporation$ (Copro, 2004)
- Ballcutter (Peaceville, 2019)
Demos
- No Fuckin' Cover (1988)
- Demo No. 2 (1989)
Split albums
- Live Death – split LP with Suffocation, Malevolent Creation, and Exhorder (Restless Records, 1993)