Hell Chose Me

That's right. Names mean nothing. Yes they're called Carnifex. Yes they're a deathcore band. Yes, to many they're one of the worst deathcore band. To me, they're one of the best, easily.

After two previous releases in the solid "Dead In My Arms" and the less than stellar "The Diseased and the Poisoned", the band released this album. Hell Chose Me. This is a step in the right direction. At times one could mistake this album for blackened death metal (or blackened deathcore due to a number of breakdowns).

The riffs seem structured in a black metal fashion, with a hint of nice technicality. Tremolos are used extensively, and if the band had a nice crunchy black metal guitar tone, this would be certainly blackened deathcore. While Carnifex have a past of using the same breakdown repeatedly, they learned their lesson here and used tasteful breakdowns, that are all varied and not extended to the point of wanting to turn them off. There is even a bass presence, with a nice chunky tone and sound that brings to mind Steve Harris's playing. There are even a couple solos to be found (Sorrowspell) which is always welcome when played right, which they are.

The drums are pretty intense, with Shawn Cameron using a nice range of double bass, blast beats, technical fills and are especially useful during the breakdowns.

Scott Lewis may sound like your typical deathcore vocalist, using a 50/50 mix of death growls and raspy screaming, but i'd liken his highs more to Nocturno Culto than Oliver Sykes. His lyrics are very cliche, however, but it's still much better than most wannabe Satanic deathcore bands can manage.

In conclusion, this is deathcore for death metal fans. Yeah, it's likely if you don't like deathcore you'll hate it, in which case you've just wasted time reading my review. If you do enjoy your deathcore with a healthy dose of proper extreme influences, then seek this album out. It will not disappoint.

Highlights: Entombed Monarch, Sorrowspell, Names Mean Nothing, Genocide Initiative, Hell Chose Me