Zombified, Carnage Slaughter and Death

For a group of guys that started out quickly over a couple of beers, Zombified certainly have their shit together on their sophomore effort, Carnage Slaughter and Death. The deathgrind (mostly death) mayhem on this 12 track release is chunky, full of vigor and more than enough groove to be snapping rotten necks with a head-banging fury.

The music on Carnage Slaughter and Death isn’t really anything that we haven’t heard before, but I’ll be damned if this shit isn’t infectious like some post-apocalyptic fever that drives men, women and children insane with the thirst for human flesh. It’s a frenzied blend of rabid drumming, burly death riffage and influences from the likes of Grave (they share the same cover artist), Vomitory and perhaps a tinge of early Entombed in some of the guitar tone.

Initially conceived by guitarists P. Myrén and P. Fransson, the band also features J. Johansson on drums and Facebreaker’s R.Karlsson, whose style I really like. The combined efforts of these death-obsessed heathens is immediately felt on the album opening title track. “Carnage Slaughter and Death” sets the tone quickly with manic drumming, bestial vocals and a fuck ton of groove. The riffing throughout the song (and album) is catchy as hell and will have your head whipping about along with the skull-smashing drums for the duration — providing you can handle that, of course.

“Pull the Trigger” is a massive song with plenty of ebb and flow, showcasing the band’s ability to both blast and groove with seamless effort. The song crunches through almost three minutes of deathly mayhem like a fully armored semi piling through a stack of half-rotted zombies. The band keeps the coagulated blood flowing with the relatively slower moving “Withering Soul,” a song that is highlighted by Karlsson’s excellent vocal work. The unrelenting zombie march continues with the frantic “Suffering Ascends,” the absolutely blasting “Endless Days of Wrath,” the powerful and slightly melodic “Reborn in Sin,” and the full-throttle, abrasiveness of “The Last Stand.”

All in all, Carnage Slaughter and Death is a solid fucking album. The guitars get a little repetitive at times, but never to the detriment of the experience. An aural beat-down like this is best enjoyed as loud as your stereo can push. The group of misfits that have formed this seething horde of zombies work quite well together and have formed a great base on which to improve with future releases. I cannot wait!