Cannibal Corpse is the demo

Demo (music)

A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

 by American death metal

Death metal

Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 band Cannibal Corpse

Cannibal Corpse

Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

. The demo is the predecessor to Cannibal Corpse's debut full-length album Eaten Back to Life

Eaten Back to Life

Eaten Back to Life is the debut album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on 17 August 1990 through Metal Blade Records. The album was banned in Germany and other countries because of the violent cover and the extreme nature of the lyrics. Glen Benton of Deicide and...

and all the songs were re-recorded for that album. Although the correct title of the demo is simply "Cannibal Corpse", the demo is commonly referred to as "A Skull Full of Maggots" or simply "The Demo" among Cannibal Corpse collectors and fans.

The cassette covers feature a photo of the early band and artwork created by Chris Barnes. The covers are printed on plain inexpensive cardstock and printed in a single color on a white background.

The demo itself is featured on Cannibal Corpse's 2003 Box Set 15 Year Killing Spree

15 Year Killing Spree

15 Year Killing Spree is a box set by the American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. The cover art contains demons and skeletons placed in windows in a castle surrounded by a moat of blood...

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Production

The original version of this demo was produced only on cassette tape. Only two productions runs of 100 units were ever made for a total of only 200 tapes (100 with white background; 100 with red background). The cassettes were cheaply produced, and many of them appear to be made from second hand or rejected cassette stocks, often faded writing from other band's albums is visible on the cassette itself. Most of the copies were simply given out at shows and traded or passed among fans. The few original cassettes that still exist are prized by fans and hoarded by collectors of Cannibal Corpse memorabilia.

Track listing

1. "A Skull Full of Maggots" – 2:08
2. "The Undead Will Feast" – 2:57
3. "Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains" – 2:37
4. "Put Them to Death" – 1:49
5. "Bloody Chunks" – 2:21