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ON TOUR: Carnifex & Chelsea Grin w/ Bodysnatcher, Varials & The Convalescence | Core Community


Carnifex is one of the most respected deathcore bands, even among those who aren't exactly 'in league' with the genre, because of their evolution as a band, crafting their own unique style of 'blackened deathcore' that remains much more advanced than the styles of other acts within their own genre. However, Carnifex's origins lie within the mid-2000s Myspace era of deathcore, a time when the genre was much less diverse and within it dwelled this cesspool of a fashion competition. Luckily, Carnifex's image at this time was unaffected by the then-current state of the genre, even if their debut full-length Dead in My Arms feels so much like it belongs in that time period - which it does. I don't like to start reviews giving a negative impression right off the bat, especially with a Carnifex album that I've held dear to me for many years. It should be said though, that this is not the Carnifex we love (or at least respect) today, as their musical style at the time was practically indistinguishable from what they're doing now. I enjoy this album, but it's not perfect.

First thing I should mention - and I hate starting my reviews with negative aspects before positive ones - is that this is an extremely formulaic album. In a way, you could try to say this works in the band's favor if you stretch the idea quite some, but do keep in mind that every song is going to have the same pattern of riffs - chugging, slammy chromatic riffs palm muted on the lower strings, a repetitive lathering of minor-key trem-picked riffs, and of course single-note hardcore breakdowns. On the plus side, a lot of the riffs on Dead in My Arms can actually be impressive and I don't at all question guitarists Jake Anderson and Cory Arford's ability. It's the songwriting that I feel a bit edgy towards since the songs tend to feel repetitive often - for example, you'll hear practically the same melodic riff in "Slit Wrist Savior" that you'll hear in the title-track.

By the same token, there are some select tracks that I do find unique in their own way. "Lie to My Face" (potentially Carnifex's most popular song to this day) is likely to be considered the most well-written song on the album, simply due to it having much smoother transitions between riffs making the song feel whole. "Collaborating Like Killers" also is a much more interesting track, being a very energetic, fast, and groovy track that engaged me completely. All in all, Dead in My Arms is a kind of mixed bag of tracks, some that drone on with messy, wacky song structure and monotonous feel, and others that I do find quite engaging.

At this point, you're probably wondering whether this is too harsh. Fear not though, because Dead in My Arms has many redeeming qualities that I think really pull the album together and make it 'sound better than it looks on paper'. (I apologize for my wonky metaphor, I simply couldn't think of a better one.) My absolute favorite aspect of the album is the production value, or lack thereof. This album is RAW. And I mean, blurry, static, black metal-lever raw, but with a death metal approach. The closest classic album I can think of that compares would be Cannibal Corpse's Butchered at Birth, but tuned lower and with a lot more oomph from the low end. Yes, this is a heavy as fuck album, and to the extent that the problems with songwriting kinda get a little drowned out in the overall attitude and ferocity within the sound. If it weren't for this wall of sheer brutality, the whole product would be toothless in a sense - something I will touch on in my review of The Diseased and the Poisoned.

So with that being said, Dead in My Arms is saved in part by its mix, but I can't say that it necessarily leans on it. The album is also held up by vocalist Scott Lewis's impressive performance. While his choice range of vocals is rather typical for deathcore of the time, I find that Lewis's vocals are simply more powerful, more emotional - and this had been the case throughout Carnifex's career. The pig squeals get irritating at times, but Lewis doesn't overuse them to the point of being unbearable. It seems Lewis is most focused on his lows, which is great. I absolutely love Lewis's low growls and gutturals.

With all those pulled together, you get a recipe for an album that's at worst generic, formulaic, and a bit stale in terms of songwriting, and at best is vicious, brutal, and has a generally pissed-off (jn a hardcore sense) approach. Comparing Dead in My Arms to other deathcore releases of the time, say, Suicide Silence's The Cleansing (a comparison that has been made to point of exhaustion) definitely puts this album on a musical level slightly above most others. Where it falls flat, sadly, is within the lyrics.

Let me say it - I like Carnifex's lyrics. Call me crazy, but I think their later material has some terrific lyricism. Dead in My Armsfeels a little offbeat compared to succeeding works. Whereas their newer lyrics tend to be very hateful, misanthropic, and sinister, these lyrics here are just kinda boring. Most of the songs are very 'emo' - lots of breakup songs ("Lie to My Face", "Love Lies in Ashes"), cheesy self-harm songs ("Slit Wrist Savior", the title-track), and other sorts of typical circa-2007 deathcore tropes. The subject matter doesn't offend me too personally, but the manner in which they're written isn't exactly creative. Expect lots of repeating verses, chanted lines - you know, the types where if you look at the entire lyric sheet, it would seem the song itself is a lot shorter than it actually is. Lewis, still in the stages of developing his then-young vocals, has a bit of trouble clearly pronunciating his words and with that you get quite a bit of a jumbled, gibberish mesh - even when equipped with the full lyric booklet, the words themselves sound too blended and Lewis's pig squeals further murk the more difficult phrases. Example: in "Lie to My Face", "Of all the stupid things I did, I fell for this", when in fact the official lyric sheet says, "Of all the stupid things in my life, I fell for this", further confusing me as to what the hell he's saying.


All in all, I think Dead in My Arms is a decent deathcore release, but one that for the most part falls flat on many levels. I wouldn't put it in my top 3 Carnifex albums, despite it being a modern genre-classic. The elements are present, but I feel that there's a lot missing. At the time though, this was probably the best the band could've come up with, given the state of the genre and I do think it stands out compared to most other releases of the time. That's not exactly saying much though.


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