Ballads dedicated to death…
The San Diego based metal band Carnifex released their ninth studio album last month titled Necromanteum. Formed in 2005 and later emerging from the underground, Carnifex blend the sounds of blackened death metal with guttural screams and existentialist lyrics. The first song “Torn In Two” immediately pulls the listener into the hellish themes of death and the afterlife that the rest of the album continues to explore. With the rapid machine gun guitar riffs, haunting violins in the background and orchestral fusions, each song claws at you, pulling you deeper into what feels like a nightmarish musical that never ends. With tour dates and merch already available on their website, Carnifex is ready to take their audience along for the ride in their new era.
The album displays a track listing of songs from beyond the grave; having Necromanteum released in October was perfectly fitting. Comic book artist E.M. Gist, who is known for his dramatic and dark art projects, encapsulated the foreboding vibe of the tracks; it’s clear Carnifex knew exactly who to call for Necromanteum. The title itself, which is derived from the word Necromancy— the practice of communicating with or summoning the dead— gives an insight on the album’s tone and story. Scott Lewis says: “Necromanteum is a truly special album that all of us in the band already love. Spend some time in conversation with the other side of life, enter the ‘Necromanteum’…” With a recording process that took weeks, Carnifex experimented with their latest record as a healing tool for grief, feelings of isolation and an overall sense of doom, shrouded in heavy imagery of carnage. The third and title track “Necromanteum,” plays around with the dark craft that is Necromancy. The angsty lyrics depict introspective motifs related to unseen realms where dark magic and spirits are prominent. Frontman Scott Lewis offers raw screams with phrases like “summon your darkest fears” and “death walks with me,” suggesting a journey into the macabre as well as the exploration of the psyche. The interplay between life and death conveys a contemplation of existential questions hidden in the subconscious mind. The track then takes a darker turn, giving the sense of being enslaved inside oneself and struggling with psychological turmoil. The impending doom doesn’t stop there, descending further into the pits of the album’s hellish core, “The Pathless Forest” is an eerie warning that soon dissolves into acceptance. It sits in the comfort that everything means nothing except death’s cold embrace. It is a ballad dedicated to death made clear as Lewis finishes the song with the words “I am death, I am divine.”
As the album reaches its end with “Heaven and Hell All at Once,” it comes full circle, like a snake biting its own tail. The beginning of the track is like a horror film score before the heavy guitar riff starts. “At war with peace,” Lewis starts off with a low growl, simple yet complex. It conveys a paradoxical and contradictory undertone; the usage of two words that represent opposing sides suggests inner turmoil. But Carnifex denies us closure as they are “vanished from this life / erased without a sound.” It’s safe to say that Necromanteum’s purpose is to make you comfortable with the uncomfortable. It wallows in its own despair but embraces it like the Grim Reaper embraces souls.
The final track is a breath of fresh air, a release– kind of like the last stage of grief (spoiler alert, it’s acceptance). The rising crescendo of violins in the background paired with the intense guitar solo adds an extra layer of emotion, almost making the entire experience cinematic. Lewis performs his final vocals before the song ends, as if he is chewing the listener and spitting them back out. Carnifex is back and heavier than ever to deliver their audience an experimental album full of bangers and a soundtrack in accepting death as a friend.
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