### Decapitated: Carnival is forever

#### 26/08/11 || The Duff

I never believed in Jesus until Vogg decided to keep Decapitated going following the tragic loss of his brother Vitek in 2007; man, those were some heavy breaths awaiting news of the band’s future, so this here review is going to have fanboy cum all over it. That isn’t to say I’m 100% behind “Carnival is Forever”; there’s a fledgling quality to it that does not entirely represent the bullheaded confidence of albums past, probably due to five years out of the game and a new line-up (Yes. Yes, I think so..). One thing I can say for definite though is that Vogg has not lost his ability to produce riff-salad albums; as with past Decapitated (all save “The Negation”, which is flawless in my mind), there are occasional drops in the songwriting, but where earlier efforts seemed to have hints of mediocrity in isolated parts of the disc, “Carnival is Forever” is a more well-rounded effort with some ill-chosen ideas of equal distribution; it also ends stronger than it begins in terms of flow but the more hard-hitting tracks are nearer the beginning.

To expand on that, opener “The Knife” is a mix of neo-thrash, djent, Pantera and the bouncier rhythm of “Organic Hallucinosis” – it’s an unusual mix for sure, and despite all kinds of flourishes and interesting arrangements, variations upon variations of riffs, as with cuts “Homo Sum” and “404” (both of which more death metal than the opener), I can’t help but feel without the standard Decapitated fare this incarnation is a touch scant on substance. These three tracks are a good example of how sections of “Carnival is Forever” come across as having been written during different periods, a new-age Decapitated that seems to be dumbing down some, dependent on repetition to drive the message home – “Homo Sum” is essentially one riff and an eerie lead, yet somehow with the aid of Kerim’s fantastic, versatile drumming, occasional riff switch-ups, simplified and spontaneous “De Profundis”-style moments, slides and furiously executed squealies it remains a track of staggeringly empowering proportions; such is the writing formula utilized several times on “Carnival is Forever”, each track with its own unique arrangement. Yes, I said squealies.

Then we have a darker, more compact version of the band with cuts like the title track and “United”; arguably the biggest departure for Decapitated in that they’re more complex from a structuring standpoint and resultantly suffering from jumbled arrangements as if hurriedly assembled as a bit of an afterthought. The best descriptor for these is ‘stomping’, the grooving rhythms infectious, yet it took me a while to get my head around just what Vogg was doing with the verse riff off “United” – such is the man’s talent for making riffs unusually catching. As with many instances on “Carnival”, we have regular riffs but written with that extra touch of class that the man is renowned for, the djent riff of “404” a prime example where he ‘catches’ the note then throws you into a ridiculously headbanging groove of rapid-fire, syncopated beats. It sounds ominous as fuck – if you want an example of where Morbid Angel failed in the mixing of techno and death metal with “Ilud Divinum…”, look no further. This guy even makes Soulfly sound absolutely killer.

Finally, “Pest” is a mixture of “Nihility” and “Organic Hallucinosis” (as well as being the shortest, most to the point track that consequently stands out like a sore thumb), and “A View From a Hole”, despite a rather unnecessary clean intro (if you’ve seen the band live recently you’d have heard Kerim and Vogg jamming this between songs) a track most resembling the mix between atmosphere and energy from a track such as “A Poem About an Old Prison Man”. Album closer is a lush, blues-y sombre piece, reverb-heavy and clean reminding me of tracks like Opeth’s “Dirge for November”; in the past Decapitated have always proven that 7 is their go to number in the sense of trimming all the fat, and while they’d have run the risk of an ‘end-of-“Nihility” lull’, due to “Carnival is Forever” being a touch on the sparse side I can’t help but feel maybe they should have preceded “Silence” with one final all-out ball-buster.

Expect a shit-tonne of chug, especially triplets and “Chaosphere”-era Meshuggah (what kickstarted stop-start, jerky djent rhythms). Also quite abundant are the straining tremolo picked notes of “Day 69” that sounded like an elephant rearing its head – it’s bizarre how repetitive the ideas, once a novelty on “Organic Hallucinosis” now a danger of the band treading water, yet somehow they never quite push over into worn-out. The band has almost entirely severed its connection with the Polish death metal scene, American (or Scandi-American) influence seeping in to the band’s recipe from every which way an example being the chorus-y riff on “A View From a Hole” that teeters on the edge of Carnal Forge. Overall this is a much darker effort but without a lot of the band’s identity – for example the post-lead riff of “United”, the most stock I’ve heard from the band, and while I admire Vogg for constantly wanting to re-write “Spheres of Madness”, “Post Organic” was a much more original take while staying true to the confines of the band’s already steady evolution – “Homo Sum”, while catchy, could have been written by any number of groups.

The vocals for me, unlike with many, were an instant hit; the tortured highs and mid-range growls in evil broken English keep to the futuristic nihilism of “Organic Hallucinosis” but with less of the bark, and while Rasta doesn’t use much of his low-end register, when he does, as with the resurgence of the mammoth-balls main riff of the title track, the contrast between derangement and fury is persuasive. The drumming is an absolute delight; I don’t see how anyone better could have been recruited to fill Vitek’s shoes, the man’s peak witnessed on “Organic Hallucinosis” near replicated with the mixture of tribal beats, fancy foot work and resounding, groove-fuelled blasts – no triggers were used, making every beat nuanced and resolute. The new bass-player is none other than Filip Hałucha of Unsun, a finger-picker when challenging such riffs without a pick would be daunting to most, he greatly adds to the album’s earthier tone.

Vogg’s lead playing is on a touch of the unusual; on “The Knife” and “United” (the latter’s solo a whopping 35 seconds long) we have his regular perfect phrasing, wild vibrato and atmosphere deluxe, but on cuts like “Homo Sum” and most noticeably “404” things take a turn towards acting entirely as a complement to the song, the lick to the latter repeatedly played while ascending the neck as a build up to the crushing closing seconds, the most death metal part to the whole album. The production on the guitars is a mixture of organic, healthy crunch and hi-tech sheen, quite the conflicting case where the punch is certain but the overall feel of the album less so; quite the live production, as well backing guitars nowhere to be found under most of the leads exhibiting a four-piece band exactly as it says on the tin.

So overall quite the varied effort, it’s tough to pinpoint any one consistent style, whereas with this album’s immediate predecessor, despite touches of Meshuggah, you could still identify the core death metal elements. That said, as one complete package, the album doesn’t jar nearly as much as you’d think; the styles run on quite nicely actually, where each track is its own individual punch to the dick. In the end, I’m overjoyed that Vogg is persisting with his band; I dig the fuck out of “Carnival is Forever”, but it remains the worst Decapitated album to date, the sound of a new outfit finding its feet. The first four records being shining death metal milestones, I’m not one to complain; the riffs are all over this bad-ass bitch, and despite a general inconsistency, the album from a musical standpoint gets an eight. Due to a lack of identity however I’m going to give this a seven point five with the amendment that this is still very much worth the purchase, super silicon jugglers motherfucker!

I WARNED YOU ABOUT THE FANBOY CUM!

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.decapitatedband.net
- Band
- Rafał “Rasta” Piotrowski: vocals
- Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka: guitars
- Filip “Heinrich” Hałucha: bass
- Kerim “Krimh” Lechner: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Knife
- 02. United
- 03. Carnival is Forever
- 04. Homo Sum
- 05. 404
- 06. A View From a Hole
- 07. Pest
- 08. Silence