Originally written by Tyler Wagnon.
The Diseased and The Poisoned is the sophomore effort from California’s Carnifex following up last year’s Dead In My Arms. The debut was by-the-numbers deathcore and so is this one, but I find myself enjoying this one a little more than the last few deathcore albums I’ve endured and certainly more than their snoozer debut.
What has changed over the last year, you ask? Not a whole hell of a lot sound-wise, but the band appears to have honed their riff-crafting skills because despite being very similar to Dead In My Arms, The Diseased and The Poisoned is way more effective. The breakdowns hit harder, the grooves have more rumble in them, and most notably the band doesn’t seem like they are in such a damn hurry to get to the next riff.
Other than a better grasp of songwriting than their debut, you probably know exactly what to expect. The vocals are a mix of high raspy screams and dense, deep bellows – both of which sound a lot like Suicide Silence though Mitch Lucker gives a more searing performance. Breakdowns are a plenty and for the most part they’ll sound familiar though there is the occasional unexpected kink thrown in. The drumming is tight, but not spectacular. The bassist is mostly just another layer of heaviness under the guitars, almost hard to pick out, and like the drummer he plays tight but doesn’t particularly shine.
Originality is not the draw for deathcore, earth-shattering heaviness and mind-bending complexity are. Carnifex certainly have the heavy part of the equation down, but for my money don’t do enough on the technical front to wow the listener. However, I’m a little harder to convince than most when it comes to deathcore, so if you consider yourself a fan of the sound, The Diseased and The Poisoned is a worthy addition to your collection.
