Review Summary: 41 minutes of absolute confusion and a fetish for serial killers.
Macabre have been around for 35 years. Let that sink in. This Chicago, Illinois 3 piece have had the exact same line up the entire time as well, said line-up consisting of;
Corporate Death aka Lance Lencioni – Lead vocals and Guitars
Nefarious aka Charles Lescewicz – Bass and Vocals
Dennis the Menace aka Dennis Ritchie – Drums.
Apparently Dennis didn’t get the memo that we were using evil sounding pseudonyms at the inaugural band meeting, cause all his name makes me think of is a punk kid in a red and black jumper.
Nicknames aside, Carnival of Killers is the bands sixth full length studio album, released on Friday the 13th (Gee, I wonder if that’s intentional) on Nuclear Blast Records.
After a short intro of creepy carnival music sure to make any child wet themselves, we get into the first track of the album “Your Window is Open” which is a short intense burst of thrashy grindcore with Lance alternating between a raspy crazed yell and creepy more typical of death metal gutturals in the chorus. The drums are a standout here, and throughout the album, for 2 reasons. The first is the sheer fluidity of the playing, as Dennis goes from a typical thrash beat into intricate cymbal focused fills without skipping a beat. The second is because the drums dominate the mix, but we will get to that in a moment.
Another standout track, “Tea Cakes” takes on a groovier, slower tempo and is about Leonarda Cianciulli, who was born from rape, disliked by her family, she married a different man than her family planned and a curse was put on her and her children all 17(!) of them. She ended up becoming a fortune teller and killing 3 people turning their remains into soap and tea cakes. A horrific story, but incredibly interesting, and an enjoyable listen due to the bands excellent, if simple lyrical structuring.
The drums take a back seat on this one to let the guitar show off with a very bluesy solo, which is the only time the guitar sounds decently produced and which brings me to my biggest negative point, the production is subpar. The guitars have no bite to them and are buried in the mix, which is a shame because Lances playing is excellent, from groovy doom-laden riffs to grindcore power chords with some solid, well fitting solos and a couple of instrumental interludes if you’re into that kind of thing (Abduction and Breaking Point, which are sub 1 minute guitar and bass jams). Another small critique; that the serial killer lyrical niche does get stale eventually, especially bringing up the same serial killers (Ted Bundy and the Nightstalker, though this time the Ted Bundy number is quite entertaining) more than once.
There’s a lot of instrumental variety to this album, from straight up nursery rhymes like “Them Dry Bones” and “The Wheels on the Bug”; doom-laden stompers like “Slaughter House” to bursts of pure intensity like “Now It’s Time to Pay” there is something for every fan of extreme music, especially if you enjoy the horror story serial killer elements, or are at least somewhat interested in them like I am. However if you’re not a fan of that this album isn’t for you, nor is any Macabre release really.
Macabre are very much a cult band, with a small but dedicated following. They never really shared the success of their peers, a big part of the reason why being their sick sense of humour, which helps make them unique if an acquired taste. They are very much the AC/DC of extreme metal, they’ve found their formula and have been sticking to it, for better or worse.
Will this album aid in their transcendence to death metal royalty? Unlikely. Will it please their ravenous twisted fanbase? Absolutely. This album is an enjoyable experience and an excellent starting point for showing the band to your serial killer, horror movie obsessed metalhead friends.
