Decapitated - Carnival is Forever

Artist: Decapitated

Album: Carnival is Forever

Label: Nuclear Blast 

Favorite Track: A View From A Hole

Review after the jump:

Decapitated is one of those bands. You know what I mean, the ones that are familiar to those within the scene as excellent and innovating, but unknown to those who are new to the scene or have only a passing interest (the exact opposite of the problem that Cannibal Corpse has). Decapitated are a Polish death metal band with a groovy edge. In 2007 the band entered the press for all the wrong reasons. There was an accident that resulted in their drummer (brother of lead guitarist and band mastermind Vitek), dying and their vocalist entering a coma. To make this album Vitek had to bring in all new musicians, form a whole new band. Was it worth it? Without a doubt.

                

The album is exactly what you’d want from Decapitated, groovy death metal riffage backed up by killer drumming, but it’s more than just that. This album contains, if not ambience then breathing room in almost equal amounts to the brutality. Vitek understands intuitively the value of silence or of removing an instrument from the equation, and he uses these empty spaces to great effect on the title track, and my personal favourite track, “A View From A Hole”.

              

  Another excellent trick in Vitek’s arsenal is his groove. As has been previously mentioned, Decapitated are notable for being a death metal band with a groove, and this album brings it to the forefront. The album spans the gamut of tempos from thrash/death sprinting to slow droning (think Triptykon’s Shatter) but most songs spend some time in the classy mode of a Pantera style groove.

               

This album needed to be a message to the world saying that Decapitated’s sound would not be compromised by the loss of two important members, and it more than achieves this. They reach the finish and keep on sprinting. Tracks like “404” and my previously mentioned “A View From A Hole” are filled with emotion, taking you on a journey through the darker vistas of the human experience. When the album finally reaches its epilogue, you have been exhausted and pummelled and are treated to the dark undistorted instrumental that is “Silence”, a beautiful and fitting way to end 42 minutes of aural and emotional assault. Vitek proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Decapitated will continue past this tragedy, and remain the innovative and excellent band they’ve been all along.