DECAPITATED - Carnival Is Forever
July 8, 2011, 12 years ago
(Nuclear Blast)
The death of DECAPITATED drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka and the severe injury to former vocalist Adrian "Covan" Kowanek after the band's bus collided with a truck near the Russian boarder in 2007 understandably put Decapitated's career on hold, the band taking time off to mourn, heal and regroup. And let's all feel grateful that Decapitated didn't prematurely end its wind of pestilence, as Poland's second finest band (Behemoth as first) continues to bring its brand of intellectual death metal and bring it bold, Decapitated writing what might just be the smartest record of its career in Carnival Is Forever. In a catalogue filled with enviable records like Winds Of Creation, Nihility and The Negation, the fact that Carnival Is Forever's opener 'The Knife' is able to affect so deeply is a testament to Decapitated's continued dedication to the craft and its form and execution. Seriously, 'The Knife' is 2011's great opening track, and the rest of Carnival Is Forever follows suit, Decapitated using its previous stellar works as template but also making good use of intense MESHUGGAH-isms; it doesn't come off fanboy-ish and, au contraire, Decapitated has instead imparted a new, deadly weapon into its arsenal of greatness. Carnival Is Forever's only weakness might be its DIMMU BORGIR-esque record title but, hey, you can't win 'em all.
