Carnal Forge - The More You Suffer
2003 - Century Media Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Carnal Forge website.
Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge have unleashed their third full-length album, and since the last two albums (2000's Firedemon and 2001's Please...Die!) were such uncompromising slices of frantic thrash, it's time for all fans of hyper-speed, intricate and occasionally melodic thrash to sit up and take notice.
The first thing you notice about this third offering is the improvement that the quintet have made in terms of locking down grooves in their songs - there's a hell of a lot more to the songwriting and arrangement in this album than on previous efforts, as evidenced by the irresistable, gradually thickening build-up of album stand-out track, Ripped And Torn. Also, the melodic, twin-guitar harmony quotient has been upped too, meaning there's less reliance on frantic palm-muted riffage and a greater influence of Swedish melodic guitar-noodling imprinted onto the Bay Area thrash template CF previously took as their main province.
Saying that, though, is not to say that CF have lost any of the fire in their bellies. No, The More You Suffer still rages along, speeding through the listener's head like a man on fire being chased through a claustrophobic, labyrinthine warehouse by a pack of rocket-powered Dobermann Pinschers. Tracks like Cursed and H.B.F. Suicide frequently leave you wondering exactly what makes Jonas Kjellgren so angry that he must scream like a man with his testicles in a jar full of angry wasps, or what frustrations Stefan Westerberg must be taking out on his poor, battered drumkit. As for guitarists Jan and Petri Kuusisto, their fretboard-igniting solos, buzzsaw riffage and duelling harmonies are never less than impressive, combining brutality with hook-filled virtuosity to excellent effect.
Overall, Carnal Forge have done it again - another excellent addition to the growing number of releases that are successfully updating the old thrash template, and following on from the likes of At The Gates and The Haunted to create a terrifying but catchy sound. Well worth your hard-earned cash.
8/10
2003 - Century Media Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Carnal Forge website.
Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge have unleashed their third full-length album, and since the last two albums (2000's Firedemon and 2001's Please...Die!) were such uncompromising slices of frantic thrash, it's time for all fans of hyper-speed, intricate and occasionally melodic thrash to sit up and take notice.
The first thing you notice about this third offering is the improvement that the quintet have made in terms of locking down grooves in their songs - there's a hell of a lot more to the songwriting and arrangement in this album than on previous efforts, as evidenced by the irresistable, gradually thickening build-up of album stand-out track, Ripped And Torn. Also, the melodic, twin-guitar harmony quotient has been upped too, meaning there's less reliance on frantic palm-muted riffage and a greater influence of Swedish melodic guitar-noodling imprinted onto the Bay Area thrash template CF previously took as their main province.
Saying that, though, is not to say that CF have lost any of the fire in their bellies. No, The More You Suffer still rages along, speeding through the listener's head like a man on fire being chased through a claustrophobic, labyrinthine warehouse by a pack of rocket-powered Dobermann Pinschers. Tracks like Cursed and H.B.F. Suicide frequently leave you wondering exactly what makes Jonas Kjellgren so angry that he must scream like a man with his testicles in a jar full of angry wasps, or what frustrations Stefan Westerberg must be taking out on his poor, battered drumkit. As for guitarists Jan and Petri Kuusisto, their fretboard-igniting solos, buzzsaw riffage and duelling harmonies are never less than impressive, combining brutality with hook-filled virtuosity to excellent effect.
Overall, Carnal Forge have done it again - another excellent addition to the growing number of releases that are successfully updating the old thrash template, and following on from the likes of At The Gates and The Haunted to create a terrifying but catchy sound. Well worth your hard-earned cash.
8/10
