Carnifex
Heavy music has been rising in popularity over the last few years, with each trend getting more radical than the last. For a while, post-hardcore was the hip thing, and when fans grew tired of that they sought out something more extreme but still accessible. This lead to the explosion of metalcore, which has recently created a new cash cow offshoot in the form of deathcore. The subgenre, an amalgam of death metal and metalcore, features the speed and technicality of the former mixed with the heavy breakdowns of the latter. The scene has become over-saturated with bands following the fad, and labels are seeing how profitable it has become. Victory Records’ newest contribution comes in the form of Carnifex.
The Carnifex moniker comes from an Old English word meaning “executioner,” and I could say that the name is appropriate given the sheer brutality of their output, but their latest release, The Diseased and the Poisoned, is nothing but a by-the-numbers deathcore release. Frankly, I’m surprised Victory signed them, given how similar they sound to labelmates With Blood Comes Cleansing. Don’t get me wrong – they deserve to be signed, I’m just surprised they were picked up by such a high-profile indie label that already has a similar act. Others do it better, but there’s also hundreds that are much worse. If you’re a fan of the subgenre then you will surely enjoy this release.
The music is predictable and formulaic, but the San Diego-based quintet is fine at what they do. Noteworthy are the constantly pummeling blast beats from drummer Shawn Cameron and mosh-worthy breakdowns from guitarists Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds. Scott Lewis’ vocals range from deep growls to higher pitched shrieks, which he frequently switches between; he can be heard screaming about unrequited love and the despair and hatred that comes with it. The first words on the album, after all, are “This is hate and all the passion that goes with it / This is love and all the sickness I feel because of it / Because of you” from “In Coalesce with Filth and Faith.” There are some embarrassing moments lyrically, such as the Senses Fail-esque line “Death’s romance wanders like lost love upon this blackened dreamscape” in “To My Dead and Dark Dreams.”
The disc sounds precise and polished thanks to the top-notch production job from Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Unearth). The Diseased and the Poisoned is a tad more aggressive than the band’s full-length debut, 2007′s Dead in My Arms, but overall it’s just more of the same. It’s certainly nothing special, but if you’re looking for a new deathcore band for your top 8, Carnifex could certainly fill the void.
Review By AbsolutePunk
Artist: Carnifex
Album: The Diseased And The Poisoned [2008]
Genre: Metal / Deathcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/carnifexmetal
-Track List-
1. “Suffering” – 0:50
2. “In Coalesce with Filth and Faith” – 3:16
3. “The Nature of Depravity” – 3:16
4. “Adornment of the Sickened” – 2:27
5. “Innocence Died Dreaming” – 2:45
6. “The Diseased and the Poisoned” – 2:37
7. “To My Dead and Dark Dreams” – 3:10
8. “Sadistic Embrace” – 2:54
9. “Answers in Mourning” – 2:46
10. “Aortic Dissection” – 2:58
11. “Among Grim Shadows” – 2:46
12. “Enthroned in Isolation” – 3:30
Try Album [Mediafire] | Carnifex – The Diseased And The Posioned