Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
It’s time to turn up the volume. Because if you like deathcore, then you have to know Carnifex. The American band is back with their tenth studio effort and Sumerian Records debut, “More Than Misery”. For the very first time in twenty-one years, the perspective has changed. So, we’re already witnessing history.
And that gives the album’s title a powerful double meaning. Sure, on paper, “more than misery” sounds like a warning that something far worse is lurking in the shadows. But as the record unfolds, my opinion is that it transforms into a hard-won statement of resilience: your life is vastly larger than the suffering it carries.
Musically, the five-piece — rounded out by long-time brothers-in-arms Shawn Cameron, Cory Arford, Neal Tiemann, and Fred Calderon—set out with a clear goal: merge their raw, first-wave deathcore DNA with the massive sonic production capabilities of the modern age. Boy, did they succeed.
The result is a fresh, crushing bite where guitars remain the undisputed star of the show, backed by symphonic and blackened atmospheres that enhance the weight rather than drown it out. There is very little room for anything else than mighty and power on this album (as evidenced by the title track, the final suite “Licking Love From A Knife” and “No Gods Only Graves”, my personal favorite).
In conclusion, Carnifex aren’t just surviving — this is a band that is thriving on their own terms. “More Than Misery” takes the darkness that has defined them and filters it through clarity. I’d bet my own CD collection that these gentlemen know exactly what it took to walk through the fire and come out intact on the other side. I’m thankful they’re sharing this with us…
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