Carnac – Times Undone (Sliptrick Records)
Thursday, 15th June 2017
When was the last time you stumbled upon something completely free with no strings attached? Totally free, and totally enjoyable. Carnac has done exactly that for their first full-length – just go over to Bandcamp and download for free (not even as a “name your price” but a true “free download”). There’s absolutely no reason not to take advantage of this, particularly if you like melodeath.
Times Undone is an enjoyable a romp of melodic death metal as you could come across. It’s got scathing vocals of the raspy variety (some spoken word as well), catchy old school (think early Gothenburg) melodies, acoustic moments, and a few touches of black and progressive to wrap it all into a nice and neat bow. Ultimately, it has that older, darker feel that many bands tend to avoid (in favor of a more commercially attractive sound) and the band’s melodies are out in the forefront to grab your attention. “Into the Wake” stands out with some more blackened elements coming forward, ushering in a more somber sound, while “Mountains of Red” has more of an older Dark Tranquillity vibe with some melancholic grandeur coming in full force. The band can move faster as well, with no loss of melody, as opener “Cessation” quickly displays.
The one obvious sticking point here is that the music itself does nestle right into the usual melodic death/black metal tropes. No one is going to talk about how revolutionary the album was 10 years from now. But, that being said, Carnac has some strong instincts on their debut and aim to please the older fans of the melodic extreme zone. Plus, it was noted that you can grab this totally for free right? Hard to argue against a strong product, especially when it can be yours as soon as you click the widget below.
