Review of Carnal Forge - Please Die!

First off, do you remember those cheezy ass 3-D posters they used to have in all the malls? The ones where cats (generally burnt out hippies) would sit and stare at for hours. The same ones that the storeowners would tell you, "you have to look through the poster man." while your ass was sitting there staring at them like the burnt out hippies. As you sat there going what the hell man, I don't see shit! Well with some persistence and the general curiosity of needing to know what all the hype was all about. The image would pop out like some grand foking scheme. And once you had it down you could just flip from page to page, with the image popping up immediately. I compare Carnal Forge's latest release, Please… Die!, in the exact scenario. Upon my first listen of Please… Die! it was not even a question that it was a heavy ass album, but the overall intent was not in focus. I listened, chalking it up as an excellent follow up to Firedemon but basically dubbing it as a part 2. The overall scheme nowhere in my sights. Here's where my comparison falls into play. Several listens later, Please… Die! blew up in my face. The many subtleties within the song structures becoming once again, one grand foking scheme. Grooves within full on speed that became so apparent, that I was in awe that I actually missed them. The actual punishing element was always there but the melody I missed came across so blatantly apparent. I was questioning my own good metal judgment. Please… Die! combines some of the angriest sound musicianship that I have heard to date. Song substance oozing from every facet within the CD. Blast beats delivered by Stephan Westerberg, crush your brain at the speed of intense. Which measures right under the weight of brutal. Which in turn dwells amongst conquer. The severity of heavy is beyond Resurrection. The vocal attack provided by the means of Jonas Kjellgren's throat, literally made my skin crawl. Carnal Forge have created a masterpiece within a masterpiece. Intricate attacks, subtle deliveries within the ultimate heavy that bend the listener into a metal contortion that even a veteran chiropractor would turn away. Bottom Line: Please… Die! is an album that will keep the listener on the edge of their seat.

Photo By: Jonas Bilberg

My first encounter with this band was about a year ago when I came across their 2nd release, Firedemon, their first with Century Media. I was immediately punished by the brutal assault that was unleashed on me from the beginning of track #1 through the end of track #12. This was certainly a case where I noticed right away the magnitude of the power and brutality that was delivered upon me like a swift kick to the forehead. Please...Die! knocked me on my ass on the third listen with the same brand of attack. Either way you look at it, whether it was the first listen or the tenth listen, both of these discs move me in a way that I find to be completely gratifying. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing any of the three albums from Carnal Forge, let me get you up to speed. There is absolutely no beating around the bush by this talented 5-piece from Sweden which, in my opinion, is the undisputed metal capital of the world. The music is guitar driven with extremely technical riffs layering a drumming performance by Stefan Westerberg that competes well with any other in the business. A lot of guitarists can play speedy progressions all up and down the fret board, but very few of them can execute it so that in turn every note is understandable and comes across clean and crisp. That is the dual guitar attack of the Kuuisisto brothers. With their already mentioned speedy technical prowess controlling the reigns for the most part, they do throw in some slower groove oriented type riffs resulting in an uncontrollable headbang. Unlike their first two albums they've added a few leads and more melodic harmony sections that I find add flavor to their already punitive onslaught. Longtime friend Lars Linden fills the void left by Johan Magnusson's departure from the band, and Jonas Kjellgren fronts this offensive that is Carnal Forge with his finely tuned oral aggression. Once again my friends, this is another damn fine outing by this band and deserves to be in your collection. After you have picked up this latest release, I highly recommend tracking down Firedemon as well as their first release Who's Gonna Burn which is just as crushing. It's not often that you can find a band that can consistently produce the goods on three consecutive albums. Although they do exist, some bands tend to experience failure with the true metal masses after the first album, and in other cases it may take a bit longer. In the case of Carnal Forge, I see nothing standing in their way but a bright metal future. Hands down one of the finest thrash metal releases of the year. Favorite Track: Hand Of Doom

Release Details

Carnal Forge

Please Die!

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