Testify for My Victims

Carnal Forge have always pushed the envelope, so to speak. But with the addition of vocalist Jens Mortensen, they have have transformed into a true beast of a metal band. The band is faster, tighter, more melodic and more brutally heavy than ever before. Yet, as is clearly observed in songs such as Burning Eden, Questions Pertaining the Ownership of My Mind, and Biological Waste Matter, CF manages to sound fresh and new, thanks in part to the mind-blowingly technical dual-guitar attack of the Kuusisto brothers.

The guitar sound is ultra-heavy on songs like Subhuman and Lost Legion, yet the beauty of this album is in the abundance of delicately crafted guitar leads. QPTOOM kicks off with an ultra-speedy, highly progressive riff that would make Jeff Loomis envious. From start to finish, every song is full of highlights, harmony-drenched choruses and a wickedly aggressive, understated vocal performance by Mortensen. Freedom By Mutilation showcases a very catchy chord progression. Subhuman, my favorite track on the record (and by far the heaviest) unleashes a ridiculous chromatic riff of death on top of Mortensen's relentless screams: "PLACE YOURSELF IN LINE TO DIE YOU CAN'T GET AWAY!"

The album features some astounding drumming that's hard to miss on such songs as Godsend God's End and the title track. Ante Mori is the only slow song to be found on the album, yet it rounds out this riff-fest rather nicely. Some brutal deathgrind moments can be found on Numb (The Dead). The only minor criticism I can think of is that the bass guitar doesn't really stand out and is often difficult to hear. Bottom line: If modern, technical thrash is your thing, Testify For My Victims is one album you won't want to miss. This is an easy choice for #1 album of 2007 for me thus far.