Review: “Visions of Infinihility” by Carnosus

A concept album set within the same dystopian universe as their 2020 debut full length album “Dogma Of The Deceased” and lyrically centred around a tyrannical reign with the purpose of repopulating the world with a cadaverine-like race “Visions of Infinihility” marks the sophomore release from Örebro Sweden based Technical Progressive Melodic Death Metal act Carnosus. Formed back in 2011 with a vast array of influences the band released their debut EP “The Universal Culmination” in 2015 but this time have gone a shade braver, commissioning Timon Kokott (Black Jade, Darkness, Emerald Lord) to pain the cover artwork for an album recorded under the watchful eye of producer Robert Kukla (The Unguided, Imminence, Haiduk). That was done at both Obsidian Recording Studios and Studio Fredman in Gothenburg Sweden before Kukla mixed and mastered…

The thunderous seven string bass from Marcus Strindlund matches the artillery shelling performance from Jacob Hedner behind the kit stride for stride as with “Ossein Larcenist”  Carnosus set the pace for the record. Jonatan Karasiak offers throat splitting roars, shrill shrieks and death growls to put the fear of a wrathful God into those of a weak disposition while the guitars offer all the down-tuned mayhem you could ever dream of before and after a playful solo. Helter-skelter riffing at frenetic pace opens up arteries as “Calamity Crawl” dances with Death, the band offering a second neck snapping cut and raising the bar once more, not only for themselves in terms of musicianship but for the genre as a whole. By the end Karasiak has transcended this mortal realm and been reborn a fully formed demon, such is the power of his vocal performance on this one. “Castle of Grief” then packs a little more groove while still reaching the same speed riffing heights while the sweeping solo delights by offering a little melody in an otherwise violent hellscape of blast beats and vocal insanity. If it wasn’t only a touch over three minutes we’d call it restless and relentless in performance and the musicianship in terms of technical playing certainly matches the best of the genre in for example Obscura or Inferi. Karasiak reaches out and touches the void into Slam vocal territory at points on “Fermenting Blastospheres of Future Putridity“, another vicious cut that has a vibrant technical and yet melodic solo.

The quality and power is unrelenting, the band not letting anything slip for even a nano second even when “In Debt to Oblivion” offers a melancholic vibe it is equally as punishing as the earlier cuts. Perhaps the surprise is the Thrash leaning “Devourer of Light” which gallops along like Knight carrying horse at a jousting and showcases a little love for the likes of Slayer. Just as spine juddering “Procession of Depression” finds Karasiak sounding almost Gollum like as he spills his guts, his tortured lyrics reflected in a shattered mirror by his throat-tearing display. A straight jacket has been prepared for the padded cell that awaits. Guitarists Rickard Persson and Marcus Jokela Nyström deserve a lot of credit for their performances on this album but in particular cuts like “Towards Infinihilistic Purity“, where they push themselves to their physical limits. A mesmerising sweeping melodic solo has been somehow made to fit a cut that is faster than Usain Bolt in his prime, no quarter asked for or given by the rhythm section to allow for it. If you’ve made it this far through the seemingly Stephen King inspired horror narrative of the album then you deserve the skull crushing onslaught that is “Among Worms It Was Whispered“. It’s a punishment beating from a prize fighter which makes you wonder how they are going to carry it off live. Shoehorning in some Deathcore inspired riffs in the mid section to add even more flavour to what is already a sumptuous offering just makes you want to smile [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Ossein Larcenist
2. Calamity Crawl
3. Castle of Grief
4. Fermenting Blastospheres of Future Putridity
5. In Debt to Oblivion
6. Devourer of Light
7. Procession of Depression
8. Towards Infinihilistic Purity
9. Among Worms It Was Whispered

“Visions of Infinihility” by Carnosus is out 10th February 2023 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp