Bonecarver – Carnage Funeral (Review)

Bonecarver are a Spanish deathcore band and this is their second album.

After the thoroughly brutal Evil from only last year, Bonecarver are back already with Carnage Funeral, but they’re not the same band that we met only recently. This 40-minute record showcases the band as they develop their sound further; Carnage Funeral is Bonecarver’s next evolutionary step.

On Carnage Funeral Bonecarver have taken their core of brutal death metal, modernised it with dynamic deathcore heaviness, and added spicing with orchestral and black metal elements. The end result is a furious blackened deathcore assault that has death metal underpinnings. Imagine a mix of Lorna Shore, Signs of the Swarm, Worm Shepherd, Cradle of Filth, and Behemoth, and you’ll be on the right lines.

The songs are well-written and satisfyingly heavy. Although thoroughly modern in appearance and production values, you can detect the old-school death and black metal influences, which in my humble opinion elevates the band’s material above the generic. There are some actual riffs here, not just breakdowns, (although we get some of those too), and the combination is infectious and quite effective.

Bonecarver’s transition to orchestral blackened deathcore appears to be mostly complete. There’s enough of their older sound here to complement it well though, and Carnage Funeral is a solid and enjoyable addition to the world of extreme metal.

A recommended listen.