An album that is at once harrowing and technically formidable.
Melodic death metal outfit Carrion Vael returns with Slay Utterly, their fifth full-length album that arrived January 16, 2026, via Unique Leader Records. The record captures the band at their most vicious and refined, blending raw aggression with tightly controlled technicality. Blistering riffs, punishing rhythms and sharp lead guitar work propel the album forward, while commanding vocal performances ensure its impact lingers. Though ferocity lies at its core, Slay Utterly is meticulously constructed, revealing layers of nuance beneath its brutality.
At the heart of the album is Carrion Vael’s dedication to storytelling. Each track explores a different chapter of true crime history, examining infamous killers and the violence that defined them. Perspectives shift throughout the record, moving between perpetrators and victims to create an unsettling but immersive experience. Rather than sensationalism, the album seeks to understand obsession, control and psychological fracture across time and place.
The opening track, “19(fucking)78,” immediately establishes the album’s tone. Dense technical guitar passages collide with slam-driven heaviness and moments of clean vocals. Set against the backdrop of 1970s California, the lyrics draw on the era’s atmosphere of chaos and fear, referencing the Hillside Stranglers while questioning the balance between nature and nurture and the pursuit of power.
“Truth or Consequences” begins with ominous Spanish guitar arpeggios before descending into darkness. The song recounts the crimes of David Parker Ray, the Toy Box Killer, who abducted women in the New Mexico desert and imprisoned them in a soundproof chamber on his property. With the actual number of his victims still unknown, the track underscores the terror of uncertainty.
More expansive and progressive, “1912” revisits the infamous Villisca axe murders. The lyrics explore the unsolved killing of eight people—six of them children—in rural Iowa, examining the many theories that continue to surround the case more than a century later. Suspicion shifts from transients to religious extremism, reinforcing the horror of unanswered questions.
Fast and immediately memorable, “30 on 9” embodies classic CARRION VAEL intensity. The song focuses on Jack the Ripper, dissecting the mystery of his identity and the brutal details of his crimes. Its title references September 30, the date associated with the murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.
“40 Echoes Upon the Parlor” highlights guitarist Ryan Kuder’s technical precision, pairing rapid-fire riffs with soaring leads and spectral clean vocals. The lyrics reference multiple axe murderer cases, with the story of Lizzie Borden looming prominently. “Lord of 74” opens with subdued piano and ambient sounds before erupting into chaos, recounting the delusions and violence of Joseph Kallinger.
Unrelenting from start to finish, “Bisection 47” confronts the unsolved Black Dahlia murder, while closing track “Black Chariot”—a re-recorded fan favorite—ties the album together with renewed ferocity.
Carrion Vael has built its identity around extreme metal storytelling rooted in true crime. With Slay Utterly, they continue their exploration of humanity’s darkest impulses, delivering an album that is at once harrowing and technically formidable. For listeners drawn to extreme metal, horror history and true crime, the album offers an unflinching journey through the minds of killers.
Leave a Comment