Carnifex strikes again.
Two years after their last misdeed, the band comprising Scott Lewis (vocals), Shawn Cameron (drums/keyboards), Fred Calderon (bass), Cory Arford (guitar) and Neal Tiemann (guitar, ex-Devildriver) announce the release of Necromanteum, their ninth album.
The band hired Spencer Creaghan for the orchestrations.
Torn In Two immediately throws us into this ocean of raw violence where howls and groovy riffs meet under majestic keyboards. If you think the riffs are aggressive, wait until you hear the massive final moshpart, which leads into the equally devastating Death’s Forgotten Children, where the band welcomes Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin, ex-Lorna Shore) and his visceral screams that perfectly complement Scott‘s cavernous vociferations on this ferocious and ominous foundation. The album continues in darkness with Necromanteum, the eponymous track, where impressive riffs mingle with the unhealthy keyboards that give them relief, letting the tortured solo add an extra dissonant touch before Crowned In Everblack relentlessly hits us thanks to a high tempo. The crushing break is broken by a gentle touch of clean sound, but saturation quickly returns to drive us to this surprising final, followed by The Pathless Forest and its intriguing approach on leads. The basis obviously remains very solid, strengthened by the substantial orchestrations adorning it, also transforming it into a more ethereal composition before returning to a more Old School approach on How The Knife Gets Twisted and its heady harmonics. This track’s continuing heaviness allows us to imagine some beautiful crowd movements, as does Architect of Misanthropy, which also places some more abrasive tones in its catchy parts. The rhythm section happily molests us before letting Infinite Night Terror take over, combining groovy palm-mutes with effective patterns while the vocalist guides the wave of rage to Bleed More and its very raw approach, supported by very expressive orchestrations. The intensity of the mix even allows the band to grant us a moment’s respite before chasing down on us again, before Heaven And Hell All At Once stomps on us one last time with its jerky rhythm, screaming leads and imposing howls, closing the album in the best possible way.
In the space of nine albums, Carnifex have established themselves as a benchmark in Deathcore. Sometimes still too underrated compared to their peers, the band delivers as effective as dark performance with Necromanteum.
95/100