Year: 2020
Total Time: 41:42
Label: Nuclear Blast

North American veterans MACABRE have been active since 1987 with the same lineup and have become mainly known for their love for serial killers by expressing it in a unique and humorous way. In 2020 they returned, after a nine-year absence, with their new album “Carnival Of Killers”, the vibrant cover of which represents some well-known figures who shocked the world with their atrocities.

Their musical style consists of a mix of Death/Thrash Metal with some jazz and punk elements, a sound described by the band as Murder Metal. MACABRE, with the exception of the 2000 album “Dahmer”, cannot say that they have impressed with their releases through the years and this does not change with “Carnival Of Killers”. Each song recounts the story of a serial killer with a similar musical structure and style, resulting in a simple and boring content. There are also some melodies that are influenced by sounds we encounter in a carnival circus, giving a more humorous character to the compositions, but they do not help them escape from mediocrity. There’s a variety in Corporate Death’s vocals, ranging from angry, pure vocals to screams as he recites and sings each different and true criminal story, while a negative impression is caused by the not-so-careful production of the album, with the guitars sounding buried in the mix unlike the drum patterns.

“Carnival Of Killers” leaves mixed emotions as it does not excite or disappoint, although the truth is that after nine years I expected something much better from MACABRE. The album will be liked by the band’s die-hard fans and serial killers’ aficionados, but it will be forgotten very shortly. The truth is that MACABRE have never taken their music seriously and I think that this is how we should treat them as well.

Rating: 5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: MACABRE – Official Site