Band:	Carnosus
Album:	Visions Of Infinihility
Style:	Melodic death metal, Technical death metal
Release date:	February 2023

01. Ossein Larcenist
02. Calamity Crawl
03. Castle Of Grief
04. Fermenting Blastospheres Of Future Putridity
05. In Debt To Oblivion
06. Devourer Of Light
07. Procession Of Depression
08. Towards Infinihilistic Purity
09. Among Worms It Was Whispered

The first album to strike that perfect balance between thrash and death metal so far this year is Visions Of Infinihility, brought to you by Carnosus, and this could well end up being amongst the most memorable releases of its kind come the end of the year.

The genre of technical death metal is a wonder to behold, if done in correctly and to a high enough standard that is, and once you begin to combine the genre with progressive elements as well as thrash, you can easily be onto a winner; take the late era of the almighty Death for instance, with classics such as The Sound Of Perseverance and Symbolic. Still, when it comes to maintaining a high standard in technical death metal, there's a very fine line between going overboard with technicality or having an overly complex structure, in between which you find bands with just the right balance of technicality and melody, structure you can actually follow and enjoy, and most importantly, an album where the rhythm generally flows well. This newly formed Swedish-based death metal band Carnosus are definitely an example of one of those fine acts that find this sweet spot.

So many bands fall into the trap of playing overly complicated riff structures, with ridiculously fast drumming, excessive technical bass lines, and solos that lack conviction, and ultimately lacking that all-important groove factor. However, Carnosus do a marvellous job at avoiding this, much is the case here on their second full-length release Visions Of Infinihility, which very much follows in the footsteps of the debut Dogma Of The Deceased.

By combining elements of thrash and progressive metal into their technical death metal approach, as opposed to taking a more direct, traditional old school route, the band not only provide an even more aggressive and mature structure and sound than their previous album before, they also show a stronger variety of impressive musicianship skills. With remarkable performances from vocalist Jonatan Karasiak, who shows an impressive range of styles and techniques, from devastating growls to manic shrieks, and the ruthless and technical masterclass in bass from Strindlund, not to mention the complex, rhythmic, yet blast-heavy beating from drummer Hedner and highly impressive interwinding skills from the twin guitar duo Nyström and Persson, this album is a staggering showcase of musical talent. On top of this, there is a noticeable progressive structure, with forever-changing tempos and rhythmic patterns, combined with a thrash riffing style that shows a strong resemblance to Revocation, although the thrash influences were a lot more evident on the debut Dogma Of The Deceased.

However, the one thing most striking about this album isn't the songwriting, nor the performances, but rather the highly energetic flow it creates; the tracks are unusually short, but each one flows from one to the next so effortlessly, from the mighty opener “Ossein Larcenist”, which sets the template for what's to come, to the stand-out closer “Among Worms It Was Whispered.” It's almost like listening to a single continuous track, with very few pauses in its sub-forty-minute running time; this makes the album such a high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled ride from start to finish, ultimately leading you to want repeated listens, that is if you can get through the first couple of tracks without repeating them over and over.

Carnosus are already showing their capabilities at this early stage, presenting us with a second great release, and with this bright future ahead, these technical death metallers are certainly worth looking out for in the near future.