Devourment's third album "Unleash The Carnivore" seems to be the forgotten album out of their short but sweet discography. From reading other reviews on this site it is clear that many were disappointed with this album. Some blame the production, some blame the song writing and some just plain do not like brutal death metal. However I disagree with the hate this album has had thrown at it. [1]
"Unleash The Carnivore" is unrelenting monolithic slab of death metal, offering possibly one of the most powerful production sounds within the genre. The drums have a nice clear tone with no part of the kit disappearing under the strain of the other instruments, Mike's vocals are well balanced within the mix, not being too loud or too quiet. Ruben's guitar tone is incredible here, an incredibly thick sound that still allows the listener to distinguish between the notes being played. The only negative of the production is Chris's bass being somewhat buried into the mix, when it does rear its ugly head (in "Fed to the pigs" or "Field Of The Impaled" for example) you can hear it has a dirty distorted tone. This distorted approach to the bass can explain why it is mostly buried into the mix it because merges with Ruben's down tuned and distorted guitar tone. However I do believe you would notice the absence of Chris's playing here. [1]
The production is fucking heavy as fuck and the musicianship is great, but it's too predictable. None of the songs really stand out from the rest except for "Deflesh The Abducted", "Incitement To Murder", and "Over Her Dead Body" which had an awesome grindcore-inspired onslaught in the intro. By the way, where are those Suffocation/Chest growls that can be heard in Butcher The Weak? Those were one of the things I was looking forward to hearing in this album but I didn't hear shit. [2]
Onto the music within, this album wastes no time in crushing your skull. From the get-go we are assaulted with Devourment's signature approach to brutal death metal, slow chugging slams, groove laden mid-tempo sections and insanely fast blasting sections. There are standout tracks like "Fed To The Pigs", "Crucify The Impure" "Deflesh The Abducted" and "Unleash The Carnivore". "Fed To The Pigs" has become a fan favourite and you can see why, this song reeks of groove and packs some incredible slams into the mix. Take the intro for example, after a strange drum orientated build up section, everything drops out whilst Mike joins in, unleashing an incredible growl that leads into one of the catchiest moments in brutal death metal history. The other standout tracks follow more or less the same criteria, offering the most memorable material on the cd. There is a reason I will not elaborate in detail about the other tracks that I will discuss later (when I look at the downsides of this cd). [1]
The sample used in Abomination Unseen is fucking creepy, but I honestly think it didn't fit well with the song and would have been better if it were used for Unleash The Carnivore since it would provide a better surprise attack onto the listener with its chaotic frenzy where everyone goes apeshit in the beginning of the song. [2]
Overall the title "Unleash The Carnivore" could not suit this album better, this whole cd sounds like a huge monster pulsating across the earth killing everything and anything that gets in its way. That analogy may make anyone reading this cringe but place this into your Cd player (or illegally download it rather than experiencing the difficulty of finding this cd) and you will soon understand my silly analogy. [1]
Overall, I have to say it's a pretty good album but there's going be a lot of mixed feelings by other fans as a lot of had different expectations for the album. The sound production is clear which adds alot to the intensity during the album's most chaotic parts of the songs. It's definitely worth listening to if you're fan of Devourment or just someone looking for something really brutal. [2]
Tracks
- Unleash The Carnivore
- Abomination Unseen
- Fed To The Pigs
- Incitement To Mass Murder
- Crucify The Impure
- Deflesh The Abducted
- Over Her Dead Body
- Field of The Impaled
If you like it, please buy it on their official website/merchandise.
Devourment - Unleash The Carnivore (2009)
References:
1. 1234SLAYER1234, Incredibly Fitting Album Title..., www.metal-archives.com
2. Bones98, Fucking Brutal, www.metal-archives.com
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