Despite having seen some Carnal Tomb art-covers passing by before and the band having been on the road since 2014, it took until the 2021-released split 7″ with Gravehammer (Fucking Kill Records) before I actually listened to the band. My impression then was that they were a decent Death Metal band without too much of their own identity. With the band coming up with their third full-length album in 2023, now was the time for me to dive a little deeper into the world of Carnal Tomb.
While the core of Carnal Tomb is undoubtedly solid Death Metal, at the turning point where Old Schoolism touches on the somewhat more modern version of the genre, it is clear that the band is increasingly finding its own niche. On ‘Embalmed In Decay’ we hear no originality and it is therefore clear that the band makes no effort to reinvent the wheel, yet the band cannot be blamed for staying too much on the beaten track. There are plenty of progressive passages woven through the music, with bassist Impaler in particular proving to be an above-average musician. But also further on in the music, there is plenty of exciting stuff to experience, spacey bits and surprising technical side-paths, but it all stays more or less within the common Death Metal paths. There are certainly also plenty of chugging riffs and flat-footed oompa-drums to please the lovers of the old school sort of Death Metal.
With this solid third album, Carnal Tomb proves without a doubt that it knows how to play Death Metal, but even despite the excellent individual abilities of the musicians and the here-and-there unorthodox and complex detours, the feeling I had earlier still lingers a bit. I wasn’t bored for a moment during the times I took this 40-minute ride, but it still only sticks moderately. The feeling of untapped potential still prevails…
