Artist: Cancer Bats
Album: Give Me Dirt
Genre: Hardcore Punk / Sludge Metal / Metalcore
Release: 7 August 2026
Tracks: 11
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Twenty years into their career, Cancer Bats arenโt interested in cleaning themselves up.
Thank bloody Satan for that. ๐ค
Give Me Dirt, the Canadian bruisersโ eighth studio album, is exactly the sort of filthy, riff-soaked, sweat-dripping monster its title promises. Itโs hardcore punk dragged backwards through sludge metal, rolled around in some Sabbath-sized grooves and then fired directly through a battered amplifier.
Produced by Kurt Ballou, Give Me Dirt sounds absolutely MASSIVE without losing the grit thatโs always made Cancer Bats such a compelling proposition.
There are riffs everywhere.
Big riffs.
Fast riffs.
Slow riffs.
Riffs that sound like they should require planning permission.
And sitting right in the middle of the chaos is Liam Cormier, still roaring like someone has just told him the bar shut ten minutes early.
Absolute scenes.
๐ฟ Track Listing
- World Wild Fire Death Race (feat. Nate Newton)
- Stay Stuck
- Donโt Trip
- Bright Eyes of Gold (feat. Chris Cresswell)
- Give Me Dirt
- Long Tooth (feat. Brooklyn Doran)
- Speed Wizard
- Ocean Crash
- Positive Grid
- Prognosis
- Fools Like You (feat. Efrem Schulz)
๐ฆ Track-by-Track Review
1. World Wild Fire Death Race (feat. Nate Newton)
What an absolutely ridiculous way to start an album.
Featuring Nate Newton, World Wild Fire Death Race launches proceedings with all the subtlety of somebody driving a bulldozer through your living room.
Cormier sounds possessed, the guitars are enormous and the rhythm section pounds away underneath everything.
Thereโs no gentle introduction.
No atmospheric two-minute build.
Just BANG.
Welcome back, Cancer Bats.
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2. Stay Stuck
This is where things get seriously groovy.
Stay Stuck combines the bandโs hardcore aggression with that unmistakable sludge-metal stomp theyโve perfected over the years.
Itโs heavy without relying purely on speed, allowing the riffs enough space to really land.
And they land HARD.
You can already imagine this one causing absolute carnage in sweaty venues.
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3. Donโt Trip
Another filthy riff enters the building.
Donโt Trip demonstrates exactly why Cancer Bats have remained such a consistently entertaining band: they understand groove.
Yes, theyโre heavy.
Yes, theyโre aggressive.
But underneath everything thereโs always something you can move to.
Headbang.
Jump.
Start a pit.
Accidentally spill your pint.
Dealerโs choice.
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4. Bright Eyes of Gold (feat. Chris Cresswell)
The appearance of Chris Cresswell brings another flavour to the album.
Thereโs a slightly more melodic dimension here without Cancer Bats suddenly deciding theyโre auditioning for Eurovision.
The contrast works brilliantly.
Heavy when it needs to be, melodic when it benefits the song and packed with genuine emotion.
One of the recordโs highlights.
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5. Give Me Dirt
Hereโs the title track.
And yes.
Itโs filthy.
Absolutely bloody filthy.
The guitars sound like theyโve been stored underneath a festival toilet since 2007.
Thereโs a massive groove running through the whole thing, while Cormierโs vocals add another layer of controlled chaos.
If you wanted one track to explain what Cancer Bats are about, this would do the job nicely.
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6. Long Tooth (feat. Brooklyn Doran)
One of the albumโs most intriguing collaborations.
Brooklyn Doran brings an additional texture to Long Tooth, allowing Cancer Bats to explore something slightly different without sacrificing their identity.
The contrast between melody and aggression works superbly.
Itโs atmospheric.
Itโs emotional.
And then it punches you in the face again.
Lovely.
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7. Speed Wizard
Come on.
A Cancer Bats song called Speed Wizard.
You already know whatโs happening here. ๐๐ค
This is pure acceleration.
Punk energy collides with dirty metal riffs as the band tear through one of the albumโs most frantic moments.
Put this into the live set and watch the pit spontaneously develop its own weather system.
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8. Ocean Crash
Things become slightly more atmospheric here.
Notice we said slightly.
Cancer Bats havenโt suddenly started making whale noises over ambient synthesizers.
Instead, Ocean Crash lets the riffs breathe, creating an almost hypnotic heaviness before everything starts collapsing around you again.
A welcome change of pace.
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9. Positive Grid
Groove.
Groove.
And then some more groove.
Positive Grid has an infectious bounce underneath its aggression that makes standing still virtually impossible.
Itโs exactly the kind of song that translates brilliantly into the live environment.
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10. Prognosis
Thereโs a darker atmosphere hanging over Prognosis.
The guitars become increasingly oppressive while Cormier delivers another ferocious vocal performance.
But despite the weight of everything happening, thereโs still a hook buried underneath the carnage.
Thatโs one of Cancer Batsโ greatest strengths.
They can beat you around the head with riffs without forgetting theyโre actually writing songs.
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11. Fools Like You (feat. Efrem Schulz)
Featuring Efrem Schulz, Fools Like You closes the record exactly how it should.
LOUDLY.
Itโs frantic, aggressive and completely unapologetic.
Rather than gradually winding things down, Cancer Bats seemingly decide to empty whatever ammunition remains.
Thenโ
Done.
Eleven tracks.
No unnecessary filler.
No twenty-minute prog epic about a wizard discovering himself.
Just riffs.
Beautiful, horrible riffs.
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๐ฅ The Breakdown
๐ค Vocals
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Liam Cormier remains one of hardcoreโs most instantly recognisable voices. Twenty years into the bandโs existence, he still sounds absolutely furious.
๐ธ Guitars
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Disgustingly heavy guitar tones dominate the album.
Precisely as nature intended.
๐ฅ Rhythm Section
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Thunderous but incredibly groovy. The rhythm section keeps everything moving even when the guitars are attempting to flatten buildings.
๐ง Production
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Kurt Ballou proves to be an excellent fit. The record sounds enormous without becoming overly polished.
โ๏ธ Songwriting
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Compact, direct and surprisingly varied. The guest appearances add different flavours while the album remains unmistakably Cancer Bats.
๐ Standout Tracks
๐ฅ Stay Stuck
๐ฅ Give Me Dirt
๐ฅ World Wild Fire Death Race
๐ฅ Long Tooth
๐ฅ Speed Wizard
๐ค The Riff Report Verdict
Twenty years.
Eight albums.
And Cancer Bats still sound like theyโre trying to knock holes through venue walls.
Give Me Dirt isnโt some nostalgic attempt to recreate the bandโs early years. Thereโs enough of the classic Cancer Bats DNA here to keep longtime fans happy, but the album sounds alive, hungry and completely rooted in the present.
Thatโs important.
The guest appearances bring additional character without turning the record into a revolving-door collaboration album, while Kurt Ballouโs production gives the whole thing enormous weight.
But ultimately, the reason Give Me Dirt works is much simpler.
The riffs are bloody brilliant.
Cancer Bats have always existed somewhere between hardcore punk, sludge metal and straight-up rock โnโ roll, and Give Me Dirt gleefully rolls around in all three.
Itโs angry without becoming exhausting.
Heavy without becoming monotonous.
Dirty without needing a tetanus jab.
Probably.
And after two decades of making this glorious racket, Cancer Bats still sound like four mates having the absolute time of their lives making ridiculously heavy music.
Thatโs something worth celebrating.
THE RIFF REPORT RATING
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5/5 GUITARS
Filthy riffs. Massive grooves. Zero bullshit.
Cancer Bats remain one of heavy musicโs most reliably destructive forces. Give them dirt and apparently theyโll give us absolute carnage. ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ค
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