Testify for My Victims

So, for years Carnal Forge specialized in angry and violent, however extremely one dimensional and generic Gothenthrash. By the time 'Aren't You Dead Yet?' came around, you'd find yourself asking why the band weren't asking themselves that same question. I mean, how many times can you write the same song? There's only so many songs of hyperspeed gothenthrash you can take before you start to say "what the fuck, one album of this is enough..." Two if you're generous and the band is really good at it. Even fellow Swedes The Haunted realized this after making 3 albums of the sound. As did Soilwork ect. A band can start out with this sound, but eventually, there comes a time to move away from it. It's a shame it took Carnal Forge 5 albums, but hey, they finally did and the outcome (the album being reviewed) is excellent. If they wrote this album 3 albums ago, they probably could have gotten to the height of Soilwork or The Haunted, y'know before the band tarnished their name with the term 'generic'. 6 albums in, most people are going to say 'oh, new Carnal Forge album....not interested in Gothenthrash anymore sorry...', but the crime with that is, this album is so much more than that. They have FINALLY EVOLVED, this is a record that deserves listening.

Here, they took the core Carnal Forge sound and added so much to it. They added melodies, hooks, a crushing rhythm section and guitar wizardry. The Kuusisto brothers are stunning on this outing, constantly throwing out time changes, and complex riffs WHILE MOST IMPORTANTLY keeping things precise and cutting out superfluous nonsense. So occasionally you're obviously going to get some classic Carnal Forge, but most of the time, this record is the band trying new things and it sounds wonderful. Guitar solo whores, this album is for you.

Another strong point, is new vocalist Jens Mortensen. As a vocalist, he has tons of charisma and actually has a face. He possesses a unique voice that really makes the band shine this time around. He's an extremely big factor here as this album wouldn't be nearly as special if Jonas Kjellgren were still in the band.

Also, the drumming on this record is impeccable. Everything I've grew to love about drumming throughout my years of listening to Metal is heard on this album. Great fills, random crashes, rhythmic double kick. The overall technique shown here by Stefan Westerberg is just jaw dropping and adds another element that MAKES this album.

What makes this particular album so great, is every band members feeds off the other to construct a concise machine. Case in point, if you removed even one of the elements, this album would lose something to the extent that this album wouldn't be good. Ya, it goes that far. This album is the obvious work of a band working in unison and creating a defining album of their career.

To close, the evolution the band shows here makes me eagerly anticipate their next outing. I can't wait to see where the band will go next. Former Death Thrash bands sure do make excellent music when they evolve...

Recommended Listening: Burning Eden, Godsend Gods End, Biological Waste Matter.