Carnation are proud to announce their new album.
For their tenth anniversary, Simon Duson (vocals, ex-Prematory), Yarne Heylen (bass), Jonathan Verstrepen (guitar, ex-Incinerate) and Bert Vervoort (guitar, ex-Warbeast Remains) and Vincent Verstrepen (drums, ex-Hämmerhead) continue their collaboration with Season of Mist and unveil Cursed Mortality, their third album.
The five-piece kick things off with Herald of Demise, an initial and rather disquieting composition which soon reveals its aggressive catchy Old School riffs, with a few leads from Andy Larocque (King Diamond) adding an epic touch. The band keeps its abrasive approach with Maruta, the next track, which lets its energetic patterns meet blast parts and an impressive rhythmic underpinning of raging screams and screaming harmonics, also introduced by Metropolis and its chaotic atmosphere. Oppression and heaviness perfectly combine with this raw Death Metal basis, leading us into the melancholy of Replicant, where surprisingly intense clean vocals awaits us before letting rage express itself once again thanks to some heavy slowness. Dutroux follows, reminiscent of the eponymous criminal case name that shook Belgium some twenty years ago, letting unhealthy, jerky riffs crush us before accelerating on the final that leads to Submerged in Deafening Silence and its slightly quieter introduction. Even if some passages are slower, they remain suffocating thanks to the dissonant leads that come to life over the infernal, powerful rhythm, before Cycle of Suffering returns to more lively elements. The ominous leads creep back into the omnipresent fury, and then it’s with a soothing and intriguing introduction that Cursed Mortality, the eponymous track, opens with eerie keyboards, followed by clean vocals that lead us into the explosive saturation of this long contrasted composition, closing the album by exposing the band’s new darkness.
Carnation have evolved since their debut. From Death Metal with obvious Swedish influences, the band offers on Cursed Mortality thoughtful compositions that dare to venture beyond their usual efficiency. A fine risk-taker.
95/100