ALBUM REVIEW: World War X – Carnifex

The reason behind CARNIFEX’s sonic longevity is simple – their steadfast refusal to adhere to deathcore’s rigid tropes. Favouring progression over mere pastiche, the San Diego quintet have continued to push those well-rounded musical sensibilities to the fore since their 2005 inception. Unafraid to incorporate grandiose elements – from black metal-tinged theatrics to symphonic orchestrations – 2016’s Slow Death encompassed wanton brutality and solemn beauty via a plethora of soul-crushing riffs and melancholic nous. A sense of vulnerability emanated from the album’s lyrical content; the breadth of songwriting ideas held the focus whilst faces were roasted off simultaneously with no apologies. And with seventh full-length World War X, CARNIFEX continue to warrant and deserve your undivided attention.

Opening with a title track steeped in drama, you can literally hear battle lines being drawn as machine gunfire unfurls amongst an echo of foreboding strings. Like its predecessor (which saw the band heavily divulge into the subject of depression) World War X has a point to convey – a internal dialogue if you will – and proceeds to let rip with a lyrical barrage of cynicism regarding death, destruction and the proverbial rot of mankind. Scott Ian Lewis’s scathing gutturals are cut with intermittent swirling keys as more emphasis falls upon dynamic pacing; there’s a complexity at work here as repeated listens reveal multiple layers buried deep within each track.

As riffs collide with Visions Of The End’s blackened grooves and hairs shoot skyward courtesy of the brooding piano-led interlude during sumptuously bleak This Infernal Darkness, it becomes inescapably clear that there is more than just bloodthirsty deathcore on offer here – there’s a new-found depth to be acknowledged. Mid-album appearances from ARCH ENEMY’s Alissa White-Gluz and virtuoso guitarist Angel Vivaldi not only enhance the listening experience but guide it in another direction entirely. No Light Shall Save Us’ juxtaposition of clean and harsh vocals combined with that call-and-response element injects a certain melodic fragility whilst those sweeping melodeath leads and frenetic shredding coursing through All Roads Lead To Hell have the capacity to invoke states of eye-popping wonderment.

That’s not to say however, that CARNIFEX forget or disregard deathcore’s inherent brutality completely; their strength lies in the balancing of technique and auditory bludgeoning. And suffice to say all hell breaks loose as the listener is hurtled towards an apocalyptic climax. Hail Hellfire crashes down with apoplectic heaviness – it’s crushing speed nodding to those black metal nuances – before the record’s closer flexes it’s dissonant muscles; we’re plunged swiftly into a dystopic wasteland as By Shadows Thine Held erupts in a hulking mass of filth-laden hyperblasts and neck-snapping riffery.

Whether World War X will become known as CARNIFEX’s magnum opus remains to be seen. What they have created with album number seven however, is a record that’s undeterred or defined by genre limitations. This is deathcore diversified – and it’s an audio-sensory sojourn worth embracing.

Rating: 8/10 

World War X is set for release August 2nd via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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