Deformed Future // Genetic Nightmare

Turkey is probably one of the last places you'd expect a death metal band to come from if you're like me. Turkey's Carnophage is yet another example that metal can come from countries other than the Americas and Europe. Deformed Future//Genetic Nightmare is Carnophage's debut onto the death metal scene, and it doesn't disappoint......much.

Carnophage is one of the many brutal tech death acts to emerge in recent years, and is very similar sounding to bands like Insidious Decrepancy, Severed Savior, and a heavier sounding Necrophagist. The music is brutal but not the point that it loses its technicality. The guitar riffs also have a distinctly Middle Eastern sound to them, and even manage to throw in melodies every now and then. Also, unlike a lot of other brutal death acts I've run across, there aren't very many breakdowns on this album. Those are instead replaced by intricate guitar solos and fast-paced technical riffing.

Vocally, Oral Akyol sounds very similar to Necrophagist's Muhammed Suicmez and Insidious Decrepancy's front man Shawn Whitaker. Akyol doesn't have much of a range, or at least he doesn't show it on this album, but the constant deep guttural growls he uses suit the music perfectly.

The only real problem I have with the album are its minor production issues. For the most part, everything sounds crystal clear. But the vocals seem to be slightly drowned out by the rest of the music and the entire album has this weird "echo" thing going on. It kind of sounds like the band recorded the album in a large empty room or an echo chamber.

Other than that Deformed Future//Genetic Nightmare is absolutely a superb album and a must have for fans of this style of music. By far the best track is "No One Forgotten." I hope that we get to hear more of Carnophage and more of what Turkey has to offer.

I have been waiting a long time to write about this album and I don't know why. From the first minute I popped this disc into the player I was blown away. Carnopahge is not just another one of those technical wank bands that just want you to slobber at how much they can masturbate their guitar. They are a Technical Brutal Death Metal band from Turkey, a band that will slice your head off with their insane riffing and intensity. At first when I heard the band and then saw where they were from I was confused, but then with further research I have come to find out that when Turkey has a Death Metal band, they are more than likely good.
Carnophage play their own version of Death Metal. Every band member is extremely talented and they use the clean production to their advantage. With muddy production you would not be able to hear the absolutely menacing riff about two minutes into Blood Commander. The same applies to the rest of the album, the riffs are downright nasty and everything else is exactly on par with this. The vocals are perfect for the band, deep and monotonous but not gargling sounding. Deformed Future//Genetic Nightmare is filled with crushing drums with the great triggers on the bass drum and precise blast beats. The bass playing is ferocious and tearing your ears apart. Here and there we get sparkling solos that clash against the overall sound of the album and just make them shine that much brighter.
It isn't often that you can listen to a Death Metal album and say you love everything about it. Everything is literally perfect for a Technical Brutal Death Metal album. I hope Carnophage and the rest of Turkey can produce more music like this. If only bands like this could tour the United States and show the legion of copycats in Brutal Death Metal bands how it is done, then the genre would be going in the right direction. I cannot wait to hear what else Carnophage has to offer, Deformed Future//Genetic Nightmare is going to be hard to top.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com