Author: Primož Novak
Artist: Carnifex
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: year_month
Length: 38:04
Rating: 3.5/5
In its short existence, the American outfit Carnifex has become one of the main faces of the American deathcore scene. They got going when deathcore had already seen plenty of its blueprints laid out, but Carnifex still tried to stretch what deathcore could mean. Up until their first, very brief breakup (2012), they put out four albums, which won them the backing of the scene’s fans, but not much beyond that, because their music, with all its generic leanings, simply didn’t stand out.
In 2013 the crew got back together and approached things with a bit more thought. They brought in a new guitarist, Jordan Lockrey, who handles lead guitar. Given the break and the fresh blood in the lineup, you’d probably expect a lot.
Die Without Hope hits hard right out of the gate with Salvation Is Dead. The band immediately shows it hasn’t strayed from its usual formula, though you can hear some small upgrades. In the next track, Dark Days, they try to show even more with a piano intro and black metal touches. Carnifex clearly want to be epic and genre-colorful. But the following tracks are where the cracks start to show. Sure, Carnifex are brutal; the band serves up plenty of death metal riffs modeled on old-school death metal, plus short but punchy breakdowns. There’s the odd solo, too. The rhythm section is crushing, with tons of blast beats and rapid-fire double-bass. But none of it helps Carnifex become anything more than they were before. The songs are too one-note, with no surprises that could make this album feel special. The vocals are fairly monotonous; vocalist Scott Lewis makes solid use of growls and screams, but in the end his delivery comes off pretty bland and soulless. His lyrics, meanwhile, are on the level of a rebellious teenager who just discovered nu metal, so the word »fuck« shows up quite a lot. Another big problem is that some tracks are overly drawn out and also unnecessary. At times 38 minutes feels like a bit of a drag, and with the constant push for nonstop aggression, it’s hard to pick a favorite on the album.
With their fifth studio album, Carnifex show they’re evolving, just slowly. Sadly, too slowly. The songs, built mostly on speed, aren’t polished enough to rise above an average record. The sound itself is suitably modern, thanks to Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Cannibal Corpse), but here you’d wish Lewis had helped the band even more with fine-tuning the material. Die Without Hope might satisfy the fans, but next time here’s hoping the band focuses more on songwriting and does something more.
Line-up
Scott Lewis – vocals
Cory Arford – guitar
Jordan Lockrey – guitar
Fred Calderon – bass
Shawn Cameron – drums, keyboards
Production
Mark Lewis, Eyal Levi
Tracklist
01. Salvation Is Dead
02. Dark Days
03. Condemned To Decay
04. Die Without Hope
05. Hatred And Slaughter
06. Dragged Into The Grave
07. Rotten Souls
08. Last Words
09. Reflection Of The Forgotten
10. Where The Light Dies
