This album has been released by Die Todesrune, an otherwise pretty inactive label for what concerns true Death Metal, apart from Crucifier from what I remember. They also have a split 7″ out right now on Hell’s Headbangers, sharing vinyl with the excellent band Evil Incarnate. Next to be released is another 7″ by the name of “Unholiness Unleashed” and a second full length by the name of “Infernal Warriors of Death”. No need to say this is the stuff for which is worth spending your money.
All this bullshit to introduce one of the best results of post-2000 retro-Death Metal phenomenon. Graveyard from Spain are just playing with the same convincing spirit of the real founders of the genre. I have dug deep in my lexicon to find words to describe this music, but I realized there was no need to describe it, it is just Death Metal with capital “D”. Obscure, murky and grotesque as early Finnish demo bands like Depravity, Abhorrence or Funebre, yet with a few bursts of the galloping ride frenzy of early Unleashed (curiously this is limited to a few riffs, you just can’t hear that kind of songwriting all through the songs).Even if I adore this shit, I have to admit other bands like Dead Congregation or Crucifire are preparing the same dish but with a much improved recipe. In other words, you probably have to do something more to stand out of this new wave of old school bands flooding the underground. Much appreciated by me however, since the sound is flawless. Great roaring, slightly echoing vocals, crunchy super distorted guitar sound, and an eerie, disturbing melody all over make this band a must have for a good collection, I hope someone does it on vinyl one day. I can live without the melodies however, if you know what I mean.
No comments on the packaging today, since it’s just a home made Cd-r with xeroxed cover. I find the cover art a bit too ironic too.
I n any case these 6 tracks are a fist in the face, as usual. Wall of sound type of guitar crunch, super low frog vocals and frantic, atypical drum programming make Carnival of Carnage one of the best bands in its genre in my opinion. You don’t get generic relentless blasting (what an admirable effort for a drum machine would it be) but more like a slimy pillar of pudding waving back and forth, erratically crushing like a limbless, eyeless mongoloid – I can almost see it bubbling and chocking with its hundred teethless mouths. Powerful, noisy, grotesque and heavy as hell. Real cool shit.
They sadly give up to some mellow Black Metal clichès at times (in the second half of “Bleeding Wounds” – I have to skip the track becouse I cannot stand it), but mostly they’re good at composing brutal Black Metal with throat ripping roaring vocals. The singer knows his due, sometimes reminds me of Funeral Mist‘s Arioch (now Marduk I think, not sure) , in which the vocal range is broad, but always evil. You get 12 minutes in all on this demo, but the material is pretty intense, I am quite happy we have bands like this in Italy after all the incredible mass of shit I had to hear in the ’90’s (and sadly today still going strong with all that shit about witches and trolls). Bands like this and Mefitic or The Krushers make me hope for a better future of burned down churches and Satan-centered Black Metal. Mortorium plays straight ahead Black Metal with raw structures, slightly Swedish riffing and a good balance of South American madness..
I am not a fan of war imagery, so I’ll skip comments on the machine gun in the back. But the rest of the demo follows the big principles of “good demo design”: no advanced Photoshop tricks, just a b/w cover with gothic fonts and a picture of Padre Pio (which is the whore in question) with an upside down cross on his forehead, ahah!
Cut the second song at 1.50 and we’d have a killer demo!
Seriously speaking this band KICK SOME SERIOUS ASSES. Once picked out two or three weak tarantellas in the whole side, the rest is untainted brutality without frills and embellishments. We need more bands with this linear approach to grindcore. It might be a bot too clean for some palates but other than that they shred. Very recommended. Just cross your fingers that one day they will change name!
Powerful metallic grind with an edge is the formula they have stuck on, and so far it’s the 4th release I hear from them and they never slowed down nor wimped out an inch. Their style is personal and not particularly easy to pigeonhole. Fast paced rhytms are abundant as in any grind band but their sound is thick and powerful in the best Agathocles/Cripple Bastards way. The vocals are still that kind of gruff barf typical of old English grindcore bands, but they fit real good here. No special tricks but each and all of the guitar riffs save a very bad song in the end of their side (“Nervoza”…. completely useless experiment IMHO) are arranged with taste. This is a good album for people into Mince Core and grind with a lot of muscle. Good shit even if not strictly my favorite thing.
One doubt still bothers me… what the fuck is the thing on the cover? My best bet so far is a close up of a white chocolate bar with nuts. Your guess?
