It’s a pretty common thing I guess but do you ever have those bands that you just don’t like? You can’t put your finger on it, everything musically falls into place but you just don’t get it. For the longest time I had that feeling with Mastodon, Behemoth and todays subjects Macabre. Speaking of Macabre we have to talk about serial killers right? What can be more Metal than that? Actual real life horrors and crimes, this is the real deal, not some fictional obscenity. Yet I never seemed to understand their influence on popular culture and Metal. I by no means condone their actions but now as someone who loves true crime, conspiracy theories and all manner of weirdness in the real world I’m eager to learn all about it.
So why am I talking about serial killers? Well because of Macabre. The band coined the term ‘Murder Metal’ and anyone who knows me will know how I detest bands tagging themselves with genres that don’t exist. So, I went into their 2011 record Grim Scary Tales already downhearted, I also didn’t like the sound at all, I shut that door and vowed never to go back, but I clung to my copy of Grim Scary Tales, why? Well I always thought maybe one day I’ll get it, and today may well be that day. The band’s first album in nine years Carnival Of Killers is naturally highly anticipated by their fans and I had the privilege of getting to review the Nuclear Blast release record, so how does it play out?
The opening Intro with its jolly circus music should be enough to let you know that this is going to be a pretty dark ride indeed. Then it’s into Your Window Is Open a big anthemic song full of Exhumed style Grind and catchy cleaner lyrical portions. I would say this is one of the more serious sounding songs, unlike Joe Ball Was His Name which I want to say is almost like Primus Grind? Either way I totally dig it and it’s super catchy. Continuing with a similar style is one of my favourite tracks the Gacy inspired Stinky, the Slinky parody at the songs end is particularly funny if you have a dark sense of humour. The rather pointless interlude Abduction flows into Tea Cakes which is a bit more on the Death Metal side. It still doesn’t lose that catchy edge that Macabre have done so perfectly on this record. Then comes the Macabre twisting of Them Dry Bones, the song is a homage to H.H. Holmes a particularly gruesome killer and again one for those with a sick mind. Getting the Death Metal back on a bit is Richard Speck Grew Big Breasts, again comical, highly catchy and all round fantastic murderabilia for the ears!
Slaughter House has more of those incredible deep clean vocals that are a perfect compliment to the bands Grind rasps, an incredible mixture that simply works so well. There is of course another slightly pointless interlude in Breaking Point, but I’ll let it slide as the calibre of the album is so high. The Lake Of Fire kicks things back into gear with more depraved Deathgrind, the instrumentation in this song is particularly awesome, simply but very effective. Then it’s time to get jolly again with Warte Warte which I can only imagine being played at some sort of defiled Oktoberfest, it certainly has that oompah band flow to it. Now It’s Time To Pay is sure to please the fans of the more extreme side of Macabre, although the band don’t lose their earworm nature even in a frantic number like this. I’m kind of digging the idiotic ones though so the Bundy influenced nursery rhyme destroying The Wheels On The Bug is totally my jam, I actually find this more shocking than a lot of Slam bands out there as it’s so clear cut and the happy nature makes it all the more vile, perfect. One of my favourite tracks follows, Corpse Violator, I love the almost Heavy Metal projection of this song and it’s a song that makes me miss live shows so much! The climax is finally reached in The Murder Mack a strong closing song full of memorability and a perfect summary of Macabre’s sound.
This album is almost perfect, drop the interludes and you’ve got an all-out serial killer fanatics Metal dream! To turn someone such as myself who wasn’t a fan previously into a lover of Macabre is no mean feat. I really didn’t get this band but so wanted to, I think my endless amounts of Last Podcast on the Left listening have paid off and given me the serial killer knowledge required to fully get Macabre. Literally this is one of the first albums in many, many years that has straight up shocked me, made me laugh and just made me feel like a teenager discovering Metal for the first time all over again. Thank you so much Macabre for a beautiful all be it vile, sick, evil and twisted record, improve your year with some blood-soaked cheer! Murder Metal lives!
(9/10 George Caley)
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