Review: “Carnage for the Gods” by Carnified

Originally formed in 1994 and reborn in 2021, Brazilian Death Metal trio Carnified have spent the past couple of years prolifically writing, recording and releasing new material as well including a new album in “Where The Gods Bleed” as well as remastering some older cuts. The band have long operated on a conceptual theme with lyrics telling stories of a World inhabited by Gods who envy the human form and their latest burnt offering “Carnage for the Gods” does little to alter that trajectory. Produced, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Marcos Franco at Revolusom Online with guitars reamped by Grzegorz Kulawiak ad SinMix, the record maybe just two tracks, but it offers an insight into the dark shape of things to come…

Vocalist and bassist Dan Loureiro, guitarist Marcos Franco and drummer Vicente Azevêdo confirm their pedigree as musicians who were forged in arguably the golden age of Brazilian Death Metal on “In Darkness…“, a cut shrouded in ethereal qualities that transcend the shades of night. The drum sound is crisp and clean, the rhythms capable of tearing the listener limb from limb but some may raise an eyebrow at the melodic clean vocals intertwined with the shrill brutal uncleans which are refreshingly different, as if Loureiro is the embodiment of Peter Steele and Glen Benton and able to produce both styles on command. They work together because they tread the same left hand path of lyrical darkness with no quarter offered or given to slowing the tsunami of rhythmic battery to allow for the cleans. The same can be said of “Our Own Blood“, which is the equal in quality of the opening cut but with less cleans, instead finding Azevêdo letting the throttle out on the kit and blasting until the skins split and his hands are calloused. Its what one might call a vicious little ditty with ethereal qualities that sound like what you might get if you put a demon in a bear bit for fist fight with a wrathful god [8/10]

Track Listing

1. In Darkness…
2. Our Own Blood

“Carnage for the Gods” by Carnified is out now and available over at bandcamp