What can you say about a band like Carnifex? Industry leaders, genre-blenders, nasty riff creators – the band are veterans of the scene, with their infamous brand of blackened deathcore delighting fans since 2005. It would be easy for a band of their calibre to phone it in a little – many a heavy band have let the flame cool as time has gone on – Carnifex are not one of these bands.
Necromanteum is the sound of a band further cementing their legend status, and it burns hotter than their drummer’s calf muscles after a live show. The album starts as it means to go on – no intro track, no ceremony, just riffs and blast beats. Through every song, the quality of songwriting never dips or stutters, it’s very realised and well put together – not surprising given Carnifex’s long history of producing music that could send a Victorian child into a coma.
It’s a pity that Necromanteum isn’t being released on Halloween, because it really feels very fitting. The band have layered up dramatic orchestral passages to ramp up the tension and add to the sheer scale of this block of heaviness. For the most part, it works very well, used tastefully and in a way that doesn’t crowd out the other instruments, with songs like Torn in Two and Bleed More feeling massive when paired with the haunting violins. However, there are a few times where it veers into Nightmare Before Christmas territory.
“Necromanteum burns hotter than their drummer’s calf muscles after a live show”
Listening through in one go feels almost suffocating, in a good way – like you’re being buried alive in cold concrete but are sick enough to enjoy the experience. It doesn’t rely on breakdowns or lead you down any predictable alleyways, instead relying on fast picked blackened riffs and high screams. But it does come through with some disgustingly chunky riffs like in Death’s Forgotten Children, featuring Chelsea Grin’s Tom Barber. The title track is one of the highlights of the album, beginning with a nefarious score that dives into slow, methodical plodding riffs and drums, before picking up the pace with a barrage of rapid drum flurries. This is succeeded by a riff so filthy you’ll want to take at least 2 showers to recover. An ethereal choir adds a wonderful layer to the track, and the incorporation of this element into the chorus really creates a memorable moment.
Beyond the properly integrated synths and additional layers, the mix is very well balanced for such an extreme and visceral sonic package. None of the instruments are fighting for room here, they work as a team to support the screams and howls and rasps of frontman Scott Lewis. Infinite Night Terrors introduces itself with a menacing audio representation of a child’s demented dream of a haunted amusement park, really drawing on the Halloween-like themes the band is presenting. A minute into the track, one of the most grin-spawning sections of the album comes in, with unapologetic drums and riffs marching forwards at a rapid rate. As the album goes from strength to strength, with huge tracks like Architect of Misanthropy and How the Knife Gets Twisted churning out some insane chugs and occasional solos, it’s easy to see how Carnifex have stayed at the top of the food chain.