Year: 2023
Total Time: 35.16
Label: Season of Mist
It was 2013 when the Belgians CARNATION started their first steps as band that would follow the path of Old School Death Metal. In 2015 they released their first EP entitled “Cemetery Of The Insane” leaving some really encouraging first impressions. In the following years, two full-length albums were released until 2023 when they unveiled their third album entitled “Cursed Mortality”. The album consists of eight songs and in the 35 minutes that lasts, CARNATION give lessons on how to play Death Metal nowadays.
CARNATION are more experienced, since they have already entered their second decade of existence as a band, with a third album to their credit and without changes in their line-up, they offer us an album that, apart from its OSDM roots, has many new elements such as some clean vocals or some melodic passages at the beginning or during the songs. The album starts very dynamically with “Herald of Demise” featuring Andy LaRocque and continues almost with the same pattern in the next two songs, “Maruta” and “Metropolis”. The fourth song is the riveting “Replicant” in which we find for the first time clean vocals. CARNATION then slow down a bit with three songs, without of course losing interest in the album or altering its character, until we reach the track that closes this release. Don’t be fooled by the description for slower speeds etc, the album is as hard and violent as any Death Metal release should be. The 7.31 minute title track “Cursed Mortality” is the highlight of the album, which is truly a Death Metal masterpiece. Simon Duson’s vocals are at a very high level, sometimes more brutal, sometimes at lower tones, but you definitely feel that behind the microphone is a roaring beast. Yarne Heylen’s bass blends seamlessly with Vincent Verstrepen’s drums and Jonathan Verstrepen’s and Bert Vervoort’s guitars.
With this album CARNATION declare that it is a force to be reckoned within the field of extreme sound. The band can combine excellent elements from past decades but also the modern style of our days. The album’s cover is designed by the Polish Mariusz Lewandowski who also designed the cover of the recent release of the legends OBITUARY. CARNATION also comes with a new logo designed by ‘Lord of the Logos’ Christophe Szpajdel.
The band seems to be at its best and in exceptional shape. I hope it continues at the same level and we will expect similar quality releases in the future.
Editor: Andreas Fytros
Rating: 7,5/10
Related Link: CARNATION – Official Page
