LIVE REVIEW: Carnifex @ Mama Roux’s Birmingham
With live shows falling foul to the so-called meteorological “beast from the east” this week and bands being forced to cancel left right and centre, it is a blessed relief to witness the shivering masses piling into Mama Roux’s to watch CARNIFEX. The fact that there are only 25 tickets remaining is further testament to the die-hard mentality of the CARNIFEX fan base here in the UK. The San Diego death metal behemoths crushed all expectations with the release of 2016’s Slow Death (their best-selling release to date) and have continued to push themselves creatively with their songcraft. And with OCEANO, AVERSIONS CROWN and DISENTOMB joining them on this molten bill, Birmingham looks set to be thawed out indefinitely.
There are few people who could kick off a show by bellowing “come on you British cunts you know what to do!” and get away with it. Not only does DISENTOMB front man Jordan Phillip’s profanity-laced command leave little room for argument, but these onlookers reciprocate with frenzied cheers and proceed to open the first of countless circle pits – and what this modest crowd lack in numbers, they duly make up for in their rabid spontaneity. Relentless blast beats and punishing double bass rhythms sit alongside incomprehensible gutturals; the putrid slam of primal cut Cystic Secretion showcases the Aussie mob’s propensity for brutal dissonance whilst brand new song Indecipherable Sermons of Gloom is the epitome of raging darkness replete with frenetic grooves. The four-piece transform this venue into a dystopic wasteland managing to strike a balance between menacing discord and musical technicality.
Rating: 7/10
Following the release of sophomore album-cum-concept Xenocide last year, AVERSIONS CROWN avoided stumbling into the nondescript deathcore category and quickly gained recognition as a creative entity. Much of tonight’s material comes off the aforementioned record, from the down-tuned assault of Prismatic Abyss and shred-fuelled Erebus to the melodic heft of The Oracles of Existence. Necks, skulls and ears are duly battered as a full-blown symphony of destruction is unleashed; skins are pounded, and lyrics are squealed, spat and grunted by vocalist Mark Poida who stomps over every inch of available space. His penchant for actively encouraging circle pits and for everyone to get “a little bit violent” whilst exhibiting a smile of Cheshire cat proportions makes for an almost comical juxtaposition. It’s a dominating performance from a band worthy of the much-lauded “one of Australia’s most promising bands” moniker.
Rating: 8/10
The cacophonous din that greets OCEANO is akin to the reception usually reserved for hometown heroes, and the Chicago four-piece reciprocate with a colossal serving of gloriously oppressive soundscapes. Mandatory Suicide’s gut-wrenching chug segues viciously into groove-addled fan favourite Weaponized with Adam Warren’s inhuman gurgling taking centre stage forming the bulk of the apocalyptic sound. The intense barrages and hulking beatdowns are equally balanced out by the ominous ambience of Lucid Reality whilst the atmospheric noire of Human Harvest is genuinely terrifying when used in conjunction with that final thuggish slam. Warren pauses mid-set to deliver a sombre warning regarding the state of the world. His sincere plea of “it only takes one person to try and change it” is applauded, but any respite from the relentless malice is extinguished courtesy of Dawn of Descent’s blend of ambient textures and ferocious gutturals.
Rating: 8/10
An earlier chat with the headliners revealed that the intimacy of Mama Roux’s necessitated a scale-back in production, but as the venue plunges into darkness alongside the brooding intro of Dark Heart Ceremony, the truth is that CARNIFEX don’t require elaborate on-stage embellishments. Charging headfirst into a soul-crushing opening salvo of Slit Wrist Savior, Slow Death and Drown Me In Blood, the baying crowd reacts with ecstatic aggression as the latter’s infectious tremolo hooks and eviscerating bludgeon threatens to tear collective hearts out directly through the ears. Countless pits ignite and frontman Scott Ian Lewis’ blackened eye-popping belligerence is illuminated by epilepsy-inducing strobes. The set list is varied spanning material across the San Diego wrecking crew’s back catalogue and highlights their ability to fuse technical complexities with symphonic elements. Sandwiched between classics like In Coalesce With Filth and Faith and Lie to My Face, the black metal-influenced Black Candles Burning showcases the band’s ever developing songcraft whilst the blunt force trauma of Die Without Hope makes perfect use of Lewis’ extreme vocal deliveries. For anyone who believes deathcore is a stagnated genre, the unbridled sonic devastation displayed by CARNIFEX tonight defies such a statement.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the carnage in Birmingham from Serena Hill Photography here:
