CARNIFEX

CARNIFEX - After releasing two solid and enjoyable albums, Carnifex suddenly let loose and unleashed Hell Chose Me in 2010, one of the very best deathcore albums the style has produced so far. Then the following year, they did it all over again with the arguably even better Until I Feel Nothing. Both stunning mixes of crushing breakdowns, memorable songs, and an oh-so-heavy sound, alongside their already good first pair of albums, they’ve lifted Carnifex up to become one of the absolute best bands in deathcore. Considering how quick Until I Feel Nothing arrived after Hell Chose Me, the three year wait for new album Die Without Hope may have seemed long for fans, especially seeing as there was a brief hiatus within that time period, but now that’s it’s here it’s safe to say that it’s an absolute stormer.

MEMBER:

Current line-up Scott Lewis : Vocals [since 2005]
Fred Calderon : Bass [since 2007]
Shawn Cameron : Drums [since 2005], Unicorn Death
Cory Arford : Guitar [since 2007]
Jordan Lockrey : Guitar [since 2013], Dangerfield, ex-Nocturnal Symphony

Past members Travis Whiting : Guitar [2006]
Kevin Vargas : Bass [2005-2006]
Rick James : Guitar [2005-2006]
Steve McMahon : Bass [2006-2007]
Ryan Gudmunds : Guitar [2007-2012], ex-Legacy Of Pain

Everything that made Hell Chose Me and Until I Feel Nothing such great albums before it, Die Without Hope retains. On this post-hiatus Carnifex album coming out of Nuclear Blast records, it’s clear that Carnifex isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to making their return to the scene. Opener Salvation is Dead makes it obvious from the get-go that this is continuing in the vein of their last two albums and is a relentless monster of only the highest quality deathcore. The songs here are seriously brilliant examples of how the style can be done well, tracks like Condemned to Decay, Dragged Into the Grave and Where the Light Dies ranking amongst the genre’s highest points, and are sure to make wonderful additions to the live set.

Mark Lewis, brother of Carnifex vocalist Scott Lewis no less, and producer of some brilliant albums by Whitechapel, Arsis, Battlecross and The Black Dahlia Murder to name but a few, handles the production duties here, and he does a superb job. This is exactly what a deathcore record should sound like. The drum sound is crystal clear, and the guitars have that low end punch to them that the genre demands to have any real substance. It also helps that they’re performed brilliantly. The guitarists are constantly locked in with each other and churning out gut-wrenching riffs, as well as incorporating tremolo-picked leads giving an almost black metal tinge to the songs which serves the boost the overall sound even further and separate Carnifex from those deathcore bands content to be as continually unimaginative as possible. Shawn Cameron’s drums are impeccable, and when it comes to writing breakdowns Carnifex really are one of the very best in the business. They’re littered all over the place, but each is as memorable and punchy as the last, never wandering into Emmure territory of filling your albums with totally lacklustre material. Scott Lewis meanwhile is on fine form, both his brutal gutturals and his visceral high screams helping make this album all the greater.

Honestly Carnifex is a rare beast in deathcore, a band that will not only appeal to deathcore fans but also fans of extreme metal as a whole, traditional death metal fans and even black metal fans being able to find something to enjoy here. In a world full of Emmures and Attilas they’re a perfect summation of what deathcore can really be, and Die Without Hope is a fine return.