After doing some reading up on these guys, I have to say, before even listening to the album, they have a cracking sense of humour and despite how the release sounds… They’re not from the Northern reaches of Europe where Melodic Death Metal which sounds like this runs wild. The German Five piece from Hannover say their music speaks for itself and if you don’t listen to them, you will die… So with a statement like that, I guess I should make sure I don’t suffer anymore and listen to them.
And they weren’t wrong. The music certainly does speak for itself. Faint whispering samples with a slight frantic feel to them suddenly explode to life as the opening track which is also the title track, “The Art Of Suffering” kicks into full swing. Ferocious sounding with a thunderous delivery and that distinct Scandinavian feel to it, this track sounds like something from the end of the 90’s/start of the 2000’s with the composition and arrangement of the riffs. Harsh and growled vocals trade off and the melodic chorus has a real hook to it and the lead work is sublime – melodic in the verses and fills and blistering and precise in the solo. From here on out, the album proceeds in pretty much the same manner.
From the pounding groove laden “God Given” to the melodic death metal anthemic like “Hindsight” to the fast paced and slightly thrashy “Rewind” to the almost Meshuggah like “Eternal Solution”, this album progressively gets heavier and more intense whilst retaining all the trademark sounds of Melodic Death Metal – precise soloing and riffing, frantic moments, tight harmonies and venomous vocal deliveries. As impressive as Scarnival sound on their own, Bjorn Strid of Soilwork provides guest vocals on “Watch Me”, which is another real powerful track. The vocal interplay works well, especially in the hard hitting verses and the cleanly delivered chorus works fantastic.
One weakness of the album though is that whilst it does progressively get heavier and it does have some diversity in the approaches, the slight shift to a pseudo-djent like feel on two of the tracks doesn’t quite work with the rest of the album and how the band deliver it. They would have been better off going down the heavier MDM route like the ‘Soundtrack To Your Escape’ era In Flames styled sound. Still, the band do retain their unique sound whilst blending in elements of their contemporaries in this genre. It’s a solid album which has some great riffs, great rhythm section work and some memorable melodic and vocal hooks, all of which are essential in Melodic Death Metal. For a good likeness, think late 90’s/early 2000’s In Flames with some At The Gates, The Haunted and Soilwork thrown in with some more venom in the delivery at times.
Well worth checking out! This band has the potential to fill the void In Flames left when they became more alternative metal than melodic death metal.
(7.5/10 Fraggle)
Leave a Reply