ALBUM REVIEW: Chapel of Abhorrence – Carnation

Though Belgium lacks the historical pedigree in death metal that can be found across the North Sea in Scandinavia, in 2018 the Belgian death metal scene is thriving: genre heavyweights ABORTED are taking the metal world by storm at the moment, the underground scene is rife with brutalising talent and old-school acolytes CARNATION are set to grab the world’s attention with their debut, Chapel Of Abhorrence. While their countrymen ABORTED are undisputed masters of modern death metal, CARNATION prefer a style far more true to the roots of the genre. But with the old-school style more popular than ever, is this just another record of sub-par DEATH and DISMEMBER worship, or a worthwhile listen?

Without a doubt, it is the latter. For a band fresh to the scene, this seems like one of the worst times to release an album in death metal – genre legends MONSTROSITY, DEICIDE, KRISIUN and HATE ETERNAL all have albums dropping in the next month or so, with modern giants BEHEMOTH, ABORTED and WOLFHEART all throwing their new offerings into the mix for good measure. With so many high-profile death metal releases coming within such a short period of time, how can a new band make sure their release gets the attention it deserves? For CARNATION, the answer to that question is to unleash a monstrous debut that is undoubtedly one of the strongest death metal albums of 2018.

Despite having only formed in 2013, the Antwerp quintet have been making waves in the underground for some time. Their 2015 EP Cemetery Of The Insane delivered a hint at the strength of CARNATION, leading to the band being booked for the 2016 Asakusa Deathfest in Japan. CARNATION released a live album of their set, so fans of the band may be familiar with a few tracks from Chapel Of Abhorrence that have been in the band’s setlist for a few years.

Though harnessing a distinctively old-school sound, there’s a fair amount of sonic weaponry in CARNATION‘s arsenal. Whether it’s the punky, grinding, chaotic style of death metal with album opener The Whisperer, the crushing, mid-paced grooves from Disciples Of Bloodlust, or the hook-heavy, melody tinged buzzsaw riffing of Plaguebreeder, CARNATION displays an abundance of comfort in changing up the variety of old-school worship. This mix of various old-school styles gives Chapel Of Abhorrence a refreshing feel, devoid of monotony. All of this is wrapped up in a near-perfect production that is crisp and clear, but still raw enough to channel the classic atmosphere of the early works in the genre.

With 11 songs all of an insanely high quality, it is difficult to pick out the highlights. That said, there are a few tracks that stand just above the rest. As Chapel Of Carnation begins, CARNATION deliver the first two singles from the record, “Hellfire” and the title track. Both tracks are aurally savage, but carry enough melody to get those massive hooks and blistering riffs stuck in your head for days. Channelling their inner Swedes, CARNATION deliver a very DISMEMBER and GRAVE inspired sound with both singles, with hints of Tampa groove thrown in for good measure.

It takes just over a minute of eerie leads and punishing grooves before The Unconquerable Sun properly kicks in, but not a second of the build up feels wasted. Diving into unbridled ferocity, the quintet rip their way through the track before delivering the truly crushing heaviness of Disciples Of Bloodlust. The classically Swedish Plaguebreeder delivers nearly four minutes of unrelenting buzzsaw riff work, before making way for another groove-heavy stomper, Magnum Chaos.

The real highlight of the latter half of Chapel Of Abhorrence, however, is Sermon Of The Dead. With a bit of a more blackened death metal twist, CARNATION deliver something a bit more sinister here. Still able to inject a dose of fun into the colder, rawer track, the quintet mix groovy vocal lines and a selection of upbeat riffs with the DISSECTION-esque elements. Fading into silence with dissonant leads and a guttural chant, Sermon Of The Dead is a late-game highlight for sure.

Not content to coast on the brilliance of Sermon Of The Dead for the remaining two tracks, CARNATION maintain their momentum on closing songs Fathomless Depths and Power Trip. True to the old-school, Fathomless Depths is a raw, filthy celebration of death metal with classic riff work and an unnatural catchiness. Power Trip hits hard, sounding similar to one of the better modern CANNIBAL CORPSE tracks. However, the sheer punchiness of the song leaves Chapel Of Abhorrence with a bit of an abrupt end – it would have perhaps been more effective to swap the final two songs in the running order, allowing the punch of Power Trip to let the album finish with one of its strongest moments with Fathomless Depths.

Clocking in at just under 48 minutes, there is plenty of material on Chapel Of Abhorrence to get stuck in to. Despite the slightly above-average run time, the record has very few weak moments, and definitely falls into the category of all-killer, no-filler. CARNATION draw comparisons to BLOODBATH, and not just for the similarity in their sound – both are modern bands that have a singular focus on the traditional, originating style of death metal, and both bands execute their vision supremely well. Though competition is stiff indeed this year, there is no doubt that Chapel Of Abhorrence is one of most brutalising, well executed and, above all, fun, death metal releases of 2018.

Rating: 9/10

Chapel of Abhorrence is out now via Season of Mist.

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