Hammer Smashed Face is the debut EP and single by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on March 23, 1993 by Metal Blade Records.
There are two versions of the release, a single version that features the title song "Hammer Smashed Face" with two covers of songs by Black Sabbath and Possessed, and the EP version which includes the three tracks of the single version along with two original Cannibal Corpse tracks. The single version and the EP version both have different cover artwork.
Unlike most releases by the band, the album's artwork was not created by longtime collaborator Vincent Locke. Cannibal Corpse did not approve the album artwork that was used in the final product and do not know the name of the artist who produced it.[1]
Reception
"Hammer Smashed Face" is the band's most popular song, mainly due to a shortened version appearing in the 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.[2] Since it is included on Tomb of the Mutilated, it was banned from Germany until June 2006, when it was played at a 2006 performance at Essen.
When asked if he had a favorite Cannibal Corpse album, singer Chris Barnes described the Hammer Smashed EP as "one of the underrated ones".[3] Barnes also hailed the group's cover of Black Sabbath's "Zero the Hero" as "one of the greatest".[3]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 93 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs.[4]