ALBUM REVIEW: Where Death Lies – Carnation

For seven years, Belgium’s CARNATION have been slogging away in the death metal underground. After five years of establishing a foothold, 2018’s debut, Chapel of Abhorrence, was unleashed and shone with potential. Now, two years later, the band are back with a vengeance with sophomore outing Where Death Lies.

If its one thing that CARNATION do incredibly well, it’s that the band perfectly understand the fundamentals to making superb death metal and Where Death Lies is packed to the brim with gut punching riffing and guttural vocal blasts that will leave you floored. Balancing the tropes of OSDM mood and tired with a sprinkling of more modern progressive tendencies, certainly in the guitar department, opener Iron Discipline sets an immediate precedent as a cacophony of riffs, guttural snarls and powerful drumming collide to make a vicious and enthralling opening statement.

CARNATION are at their best when they take things to the next level and the triple onslaught of Sepulcher of Alteration, the title track and Spirit Exicision really showcase the Belgians at their top of their game. Sepulcher of Alteration‘s riffs bend and contort to a free-flowing rhythm which is devilishly sweet, the title track Where Death Lies‘ hits the ground running at 100mph as the band up the ante with a sense of dramatic urgency to make for a much punchier number, and Spirit Exicision boasts snappy and dynamic riff changes which are absolutely solid. When the band hit the mark, they do it expertly well.

And yet, there are moments when CARNATION do buckle under the weight of the expectations that this style of music demands. To truly stand out in death metal, especially in today’s climate, one must ensure that a record is interesting enough and pack enough hooks across its entire runtime to keep you engaged. And there are times where CARNATION don’t quite achieve that. Napalm Ascension is a solid beast in it’s own individual right but when placed in the context of an album, the song doesn’t quite hit the same glorious heights of those that preceded it, and album closer In Chasms Abysmal doesn’t capitalise on the additional runtime that makes up it’s near eight minute runtime and rather feels like time wasted rather than utilising some fresh ideas that the additional time allows.

These are just shortcomings however and they don’t inflict enough damage to the overall impact of Where Death Lies. Make no mistake, this is a good album and really showcases a band capitalising on the potential of their debut. Late highlights, Serpent’s Breath and Malformed Regrowth, are testament to this as the two songs present themselves as slabs of beefy death metal that have the potential to unleash absolute hell, especially in a live environment when that returns from the grip of COVID-19.

Where Death Lies won’t change the world of death metal nor does it try to. Instead, what CARNATION offer here is a refined and more precise successor to Chapel of Abhorrence. The onslaught is more monstrous, more calculated and it leaves a lasting mark. For those looking for another solid death metal album in a year where the genre has really gone from strength to strength, this is the record for you.

Rating: 8/10

Where Death Lies is out now via Season of Mist. 

For more information on CARNATION like their official page on Facebook.