Cannibal Corpse Singer Reacts to Flea Reacting to Cannibal Corpse

One of very few bright spots to emerge from the pandemic has been Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, with an abundance of time on his hands, becoming active on Twitter. His nuggets of wisdom, usually just a few words long, have provided a humorous respite during this crazy time, none more than when he posted a series of tweets expressing a newfound appreciation for Cannibal Corpse this past weekend, sending the metal internet into a tizzy.

Flea’s self-proclaimed favorite Cannibal Corpse album is Tomb of the Mutilated, the band’s 1992 release that brought them into the big time. And now the vocalist on that album, Chris Barnes, has issued a response to Flea:

For once, I actually agree with Barnes, who has become known for his whackadoo opinions over the years and long ago blocked me on Twitter: Blood Sugar Sex Magik IS the best Chili Peps album, obviously! Even if he got the spelling wrong. I’d say that Flea probably wouldn’t be thrilled to see a nearly 30-year-old recording cited as Barnes’ favorite, but Flea did the same with Cannibal Corpse, so they’re on equal footing as casual fans.

Jeremy Wagner of Broken Hope also chimed in with a reminder that Barnes was “nuts for” RHCP’s follow-up, One Hot Minute, when it came out in 1995 (featuring Dave Navarro on guitar, of course). Barnes did not deny it:

Cannibal Corpse recently hinted that they’re recording a new album. It’s unclear whether or not guitarist Pat O’Brien is involved.

O’Brien was arrested in December of 2018 on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Authorities were reportedly called to O’Brien’s home in Northdale, FL when it “caught fire with exploding ammunition inside.” While firefighters struggled to put out the fire, O’Brien had allegedly entered another person’s home nearby where he reportedly pushed a woman down and then hid in the backyard. Authorities were eventually able to subdue O’Brien with a taser after he came at them with a knife. After entering his home to extinguish the blaze, firefighters had to retreat when they released the situation was unsafe. Fire marshals later found “about 50 shotguns — including one with a barrel illegally sawed off to about an inch past the stock — 10 semiautomatic rifles including a couple of AK-47 variants, two Uzi-style rifles and 20 handguns” and two military-style flamethrowers in O’Brien’s home. He was eventually released on $50,000 bond.

Deana Mazurkiewicz, Paul’s wife, launched a crowdfunding campaign for Pat later that month urging fans to “not jump to conclusions until the full details of what occurred come out.” Cannibal Corpse released an official statement saying that Pat “is getting the help he needs” and “is currently with family and friends and looks forward to a healthy return at some point.” Soon after, the band announced Rutan would take his place for the immediate future, including on the Decibel Magazine Tour and Slayer’s farewell run. They’d later extend their arms open for O’Brien, saying, “We love him. We want him back.” In his recorded public sighting since the night of his arrest, a fan nabbed a photo with O’Brien in a bar in Independence, KY this past February.