Decapitated

Carnival Is Forever (Nuclear Blast)
By Mike Delano

Poland’s speedy tech death merchants Decapitated must’ve had a few too many funnel cakes and cotton candy tugs prior to this release, because this sounds way more brutal than any of the music I’ve heard blasted from the portable radios of bored Tilt-a-Whirl operators at any MA carnival I’ve had the pleasure of attending. It’s not much of a stretch, though, to say Carnival Is Forever, the band’s fifth album, is something like a hall of mirrors. There’s precious little to grab onto and it’s easy to get disoriented under the Meshuggah-like machinegun assault. It’s a fun maze to get lost in nonetheless, and searching for rare pockets of familiarity becomes a personal challenge. Here are some survival tips: Snuggle up to the guitar solo at the end of “United” – there won’t be another one for awhile, and headbang while you can during the intro of “404” because, the rest of the time, attempting to do so runs the risk of spinning your head right off your shoulders.
(www.nuclearblastusa.com)