Year: 2021
Total Time: 63:18
Label: Nuclear Blast

Two years after the album “World War X” the American “dads” of Deathcore CARNIFEX return with their new, 8th album in 15 years of their career. The band is now a four-piece, since the group’s guitarist Jordan Lockrey recently left the band and they simply decided that they didn’t need to find a replacement and continue as they are.

This of course has resulted in more of the burden for creation falling on the shoulders of Cory Arford, who seems to be holding his own and has indeed done a great job in the songwriting department with many high quality riffs and solos. However, the same goes for bassist Fred Calderon who had to lower his volume a bit and essentially “join” Cory in order to create the volume they had before to continue their destructive work unabated.

“Graveside Confessions”, continues in the same style that the band has taught us over the years. Modern Blackened Death Metal with full throttle but also melodies as well as some nu and industrial elements here and there. The title track that opens the album is probably the best as it is “in your face” without much, while it is also the first video of the album. “Pray For Peace” is more groovy like “Seven Souls” which with its atmospheric passages reminds of good old Cradle Of Filth. The same goes for “Cursed” while “Carry Us Away” and the atmospheric instrumental “January Nights” are probably trying to get a feeling somewhat new to them. The rest is equally dynamic and in the same tempo until we encounter a cover of KORN’s “Dead Bodies Everywhere”. Pretty good and interesting, but it would have made more sense to have it either as a bonus track or in a special edition or single, not just in the album which is already an hour long so there was no need for such a filler. After a rather mediocre “Cold Dead Summer”, the album closes with the sweeping “Alive For The Last Time” and here the band’s new album basically ends. However, as it’s been 15 years since the relatively hard to find debut album “Dead In My Arms”, they decided to include three songs from that album, replayed of course, so that younger fans can learn how it all started. They are “Collaborating Like Killers”, “My Heart In Atrophy” and “Slit Wrist Savior” on a “Graveside Edition”, as they say. Clearly better quality and sound performances, the best complement I would say for an already interesting album.

So “Graveside Confessions” is a quite remarkable and strong album. They continue safely along familiar paths with small steps forward but in the strange times we live in, who can blame them. They have released several good albums in their field this year, but this is definitely one of them and should definitely be included in the lists of their friends everywhere.

Rating: 7/10
Editor: Antonis Livanios
Translation/Rendering in English: Athena Kakrida
Related Link: CARNIFEX – Official Page