CARNIFEX

World War X

NUCLEAR BLAST

San Diego’s deathcore ruffians step away from the pack

WHEN YOU CONSIDER the progression of the school of mid-00s deathcore boom acts, the ones who have been the most artistically and commercially successful are those who weren’t scared to adapt and accept more traditional metal influences. Whitechapel and Suicide Silence immediately spring to mind, but Carnifex deserve plenty of credit too. They may not have hit the heights in terms of profile, but their commitment to bringing an unusual and interesting visual aesthetic to the scene – and the introduction of various types of grander gothic sounds to a fairly rigid genre – marks them out as one of the most interesting members of this particular club.

is another step away from the bog-standard deathcore pack, instead offering and the symphonictinged – both scathingly brutal listening experiences. It’s halfway through the album, when Alissa White-Gluz turns up on and then when Angel Vivaldi adds some sublime melodic death metal leads on that you realise Carnifex are capable of doing so much more than the majority of their peers.