Deathcore is a sub-genre of metal that, despite it's popularity among the majority of young metalheads like myself these days, is still met with a lot of hostility and harsh criticism, especially from veteran metalheads. This is totally understandable because, although nu metal pretty much propelled the heavy metal genre into a somewhat more mainstream form of popularity and, admittedly, even though I still enjoy a lot of bands and music from that era, I can agree with the argument that the effects of it's songwriting seems to have created a somewhat standard and formulaic approach to songwriting within most, but not all, modern heavy metal genres. Especially among the more popular and trending styles.
Now obviously this video is not aimed at bashing nu metal or trying to discredit other deathcore bands that are doing some impressive and unique stuff with the sub-genre like Thy Art Is Murder, Infant Annihilator, Slaughter To Prevail, and The Faceless, but, the point of this video is to focus on the band Carnifex specifically and what makes their music appeal to fans of not only deathcore, but, some death metal and black metal fans as well.
I think, in order to understand what makes Carnifex such a unique case when it comes to this sub-genre, is to look at the list of what their musical influences are.
Now while a lot of deathcore bands may draw influence from more or less the same names from older and more established genres and sub-genres, there are usually a few names in their list of influences that stand out more and serve as a general indicator as to what bands or styles heavily influence a band's sound, songwriting, and lyricism and that pretty much all the band members enjoy and agree upon when it comes to looking for inspiration for new material.
Let's take the most popular deathcore band, Suicide Silence. While both Suicide Silence and Carnifex share Cannibal Corpse as one of their major influences to their sound and songwriting, the rest of their respective lists are vastly different and it's plain to see which names become a common thread with other deathcore bands and their influences that somehow lead to the majority of the sub-genre gaining it's tropes that are frequently and harshly criticized.
Another thing that I noticed when reading the list of Carnifex' influences is that they all seem to stick mainly to death metal (or a sub-genre of death metal) which includes names such as In Flames, Carcass, and Dying Fetus along with black metal names such as Mayhem, Burzum, and Cradle Of Filth which indicates that the band has a very much focused approach and know precisely the kind of music they want to produce. Bands such as Suicide Silence and Whitechapel have bands from a variety of styles that influence their music such as nu metal bands like Korn and Deftones, thrash metal bands like Slayer, death metal bands like Nile and Suffocation, and even djent bands like Meshuggah. This, from my viewpoint, seems to lead to a lot of confusion and results in the songwriting by these bands to fall into the trap of using a repetitive formula to write their songs with an overuse of elements such as breakdowns and similar drumming patterns which creates somewhat general lack in melodic elements since a good portion of deathcore bands feel the need to cram in as many riffs as they can that showcase all their influences. Again, keep in mind that I'm not bashing the other bands since I enjoy a lot of their music myself and I'm pretty sure that even though Carnifex have a more direct and consistent list of influences when it comes to their music, they most likely listen to artists and genres outside of their quoted inspirations and incorporate it into their songwriting as any good musician should.
Upon reading and watching many reviews of the band's albums, one thing I noticed that is a very common praise critics have about this band is the fact that they only use breakdowns when it is necessary for a song or a part of a song to have one instead of implementing one in every single song like most deathcore bands do. Scott's vocals also garner a lot of praise as well since he can easily transition between black metal styled shrieks, death metal growls, and guttural deathcore growls. His pronunciation is also something to be taken into account as well as, unlike with most extreme metal vocalists, most people cannot hear the lyrics of the songs while Scott is able to convey the lyrics perfectly for the most part with his style and technique. The band's guitar work is also nothing to scoff at either! They are able to blend a wide variety of riff styles into each song without making each song sound the same. If one were to actually listen closely to a lot of the different riffs in each song one would be able to pick up little hints of In Flames, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Behemoth, and many others. Plus the fact that Carnifex actually make good use of guitar solos is another plus for them since most deathcore bands never actually use guitar solos and instead rely solely on the breakdown which becomes very old and sometimes annoying quite fast and can even put most people off the genre entirely. Also their excellent use of faint keyboard synths and odd piano melodies really adds to the atmospheric and haunting element of their music.
Now, this isn't to say that the band haven't had any problems getting to where they are today or don't have any stigmas that they are still trying to throw off. When the band released their debut album, Dead In My Arms, back in 2007, they were often accused of being Suicide Silence rip offs as Suicide Silence had already released their debut EP two years before in 2005. Also, despite the fact that Carnifex debut album released a few months before Suicide Silence's first full length album, The Cleansing, Carnifex seemed to gain this stigma due to the fact that Suicide Silence were already signed to one metal music's biggest record labels, Century Media Records, and their album sales being one of the label's best selling debut albums certainly added to this since Carnifex were, at the time, signed to an underground indie label. And, I can honestly say that I can understand why many people thought this way since their debut release pretty much has a similar production and songwriting style to The Cleansing. Another thing that they were criticized for at the time of the album's release was that the lyrics were very 'emo and immature' and that the songwriting was just basically glorifying and fanboying over Job For A Cowboy's early deathcore music before they started doing death metal music. So, even though their debut album sold pretty well under an underground record label and gained attention from the deathcore community, it ultimately meant the band began their career on a very rocky start. Also, the band still seem to struggle with attracting new fans from the death metal and black metal camps because of their lyrics with many complaints ranging from they all deal with the same topics to they make absolutely no sense and aren't as 'poetic' as their veteran counterparts. But, in the end, these are all minor problems that the band faces considering how far they have come since those early days and the success they have enjoyed since then.
I highly recommend that newcomers to the deathcore genre check out Carnifex first before delving into what the rest of the genre has to offer. Their first two albums will definitely give newcomers a feel as to what deathcore's roots are and will provide the listener with a general idea of some of the tropes that are common in the genre. Their third album, Hell Chose Me, following on to 2016's Slow Death is where the real magic happens and will definitely give newcomers an idea of what deathcore is truly capable of if handled correctly which is something Carnifex have had no trouble doing since then. It also allows the newcomer to dip their toes into the genre without putting them off the genre completely and if they want to remain in familiar territory when it comes to songwriting, sound, and personal preference.
It is this combination of all these elements that truly sets Carnifex apart from many of their peers and the next generation of deathcore bands that they have left an impact on. Again, I would like to point out that I am not discrediting or ignoring the works of other deathcore bands that are taking the genre to new heights and proving the naysayers wrong, but, in the past three years of me listening to a lot of deathcore music, I can honestly say that, in my opinion, I have never come across a band in the deathcore sub-genre that is quite able to cater to all the different tastes I have in metal in one complete and compact package.
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