Cephalic Carnage
Misled by Certainty
Relapse
August 31
By Max Kyburz
Instead of starting off their new album with a much-cliched foreboding intro, noodly death metal outfit Cephalic Carnage instead punches you before exchanging pleasantries with their first track, titled ‘The Incorrigible Flame.’ Combining Scandinavian death grooves with mathematical precision, Cephalic Carnage introduces themselves as a band true to the ethics of death metal; combining elements from the past while looking into the future (and using astonishing diction).
Powering through the first two tracks, Cephalic ends up with track three, ‘Abraxas of Filth,’ a crushing track that combines pounding beats with free-form jazz rhythm (if there were such a thing). All this while the double bass drum flutters like the bubbles in their bong water.
The band cools off for a bit with ‘Cordyceps Humanis,’ a stoner hymn that offers its fans the chance to lurk instead of mosh for a few brief moments. Once the breather is over, Cephalic spring back into action with ‘Raped by an Orb.’ It is a more brutal song then its predecessor, but it still retains some of the same pace, showing that they have something more up their sleeves.
Sure enough they do. The next track, ‘P.G.A.D.,’ incorporates crust punk elements into the already eclectic mix, but it’s not enough to prepare the listener for the awe of the next track, ‘Dimensional Modulation Transmography.’ If there were such a thing as controlled chaos, this song is it. Starting with a politically charged sample and subtle bass solo, the song suddenly explodes. Revealing the tight skills of drummer John Merryman, ‘Modulation’ is the apex of the album, exposing all of the attributes that make Cephalic Carnage who they are known to be.
Although the latter tracks of the album become cyclical, they finish off strong with ‘Repangaea’, a sludgy tune that will has flashes of bands like Mastodon and Sleep. But just when you think it’s all over, they end on a humorous note with ‘Aeyeuchg!,’ a thirty second parody of black metal. I won’t spoil too much, but try to envision the crypt keeper hacking and vomiting. For a band that’s serious about their craft, that seriousness doesn’t transfer easily to their own self image. Thank God.
