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| CARNAL GHOUL - The Grotesque Vault 7" | |
HRR 308, ltd 666, 166 x transparent red/ white splatter vinyl + 500 x black vinyl, 2 sided poster | |
| Daniel Jakobi - vocals, guitar Tormentor - drums Fernando Thielmann - guitar Johannes Pitz - bass Richard Müller - guitar | |
| - The Grotesque Vault - Ripped from the Tomb - Unleash the Forsaken - Pathologic Randomness | |
AVAILABLE | |
Imagine a time when death metal had returned to its old gory glory– when bands played on their heights of brutal creativity, when new groups kept popping up like mushrooms and when there was still so much to discover. Sounds like a dream? Sounds like it’s happening right now!
Germany-based Carnal Ghoul are outstanding among the new keepers of the flame; partly because they have some well-known names in their ranks: Tormentor, notorious for playing the drums of Desaster, while on strings we have Daniel “Mett-God” Jakobi, who also plays in Milking the Goat Machine. What is also very special about Carnal Ghoul: They formed only just this year and are already putting out their first release, “The Grotesque Vault”. What’s the reason for the amazing speed with which this piece of sulphurous music saw the light of our ugly days? Are the band members under-worked with their other bands or are they just totally driven? Drummer Tormentor gives us an insight in the making of the band and its short yet intense history: “I think it’s a mixture of both! After the first rehearsal we already had 3 songs written…there was a really special energy in the room. Besides, all other bands we play in are not that kind of death metal we play with Carnal Ghoul. I think these four tracks are not bad for a fresh band as we are…” Definitely not! What you get from Carnal Ghoul is a thorough blend of the best and most prominent names in Swedish old school death metal: Think Entombed, Grave, Dismember… am I right here? Tormentor totally agrees: “That was our first priority… to play death metal like our heroes. Take those bands you mentioned plus maybe Edge of Sanity, Cadaver, Nihilist and some British bands like Benediction and Bolt Thrower… roaring Death Metal! It’s especially me who tries to keep everything as ‘old school’ as possible. I am really fed up with all this clinical, triggered death metal… I need power and deepness…” There is definitely nothing clinical about “The Grotesque Vault”. Pilgrims of the left hand path will love the old school black-and-white cover artwork done by Matthew “Putrid” Carr, the up-and-coming name when it comes to gory horror art. Flick through your record collection, you may recognise his signature style from the covers he did for Graveyard (ES) and Hooded Menace among others.
It’s not a big surprise that Carnal Ghoul did find a good partner in High Roller Records. Tormentor is “a 110% satisfied” with everything HRR did for Desaster, therefore it was just natural to approach them when it came to look for someone to put out the EP. “Steffen is a nice guy, and the whole HR family is a great bunch of metal maniacs… That’s what I like... you still can do good business without being an asshole!”
As mentioned above, the last months have seen more than just a few remarkably unoriginal death metal releases. Are we witnessing a true back-to-the-(Swedish)-roots-movement here?
“Death metal was never really dead, but the scene was a bit tired after this big black metal flood and the return of thrash metal. The death metal scene had withdrawn into the underground with only a few bands becoming more popular like for example Unleashed, Entombed, Grave and Dismember, not to forget Fleshcrawl from Germany… nowadays many great new bands like Obscure Infinity, Chapel of Disease, Lifeless, Revel in Flesh, Deserted Fear are there to fly the flag of (Swedish) death metal. I was really surprised when I heard the first recordings of those bands… I felt like being back in the early 90s! Arrrgghhh!”
With duties split between their old and new bands, the question remains where the guys in Carnal Ghoul want to take the band from here: Will it be more of a side project, especially for Tormentor and Daniel? “No. For me, Carnal Ghoul is a full band now. I want to record a full length, play some shows or tours, festivals and stuff like that. Over the years, Desaster became calmer and calmer, but I am still wild and full of power… so, I was always searching for more action… Now, with Carnal Ghoul, Decayed (Portugal) and Desaster, I definitely have enough to do!” As he just mentioned, we can expect a full-length album packed with German flesh ripping death metal to be released soon: Tormentor plans to have it ready by the end of 2013, while there is also a chance for another small release, like a split 7’’, and even a low budget video clip in between.
Being a full band, Carnal Ghoul will of corpse be playing live, bringing the stench of death to stages all over the country. Enter “The Grotesque Vault” here:
19.07.13 GER Wermelskirchen – AJZ Bahndamm w/ Skelethal Remains am.
26.07.13 GER Wohratal - Ragnarock Open Air w/ Sodom, Gospel Of The Horns, Kryptos am.
02.10.13 GER Koblenz - Florinsmarkt w/ Mourning Beloveth, Corova
04.10.13 GER Würzburg - Hell Inside Festival – Posthalle w/ Mourning Beloveth, Neusea, Syphor am
05.10.13 GER Dresden - Metal gegen Krebs – Skullcrusher eV w/ Protector, Mourning Beloveth, Syphor, Neusea am.
09.11.13 GER Berlin - Stromgitarrenfest w/ Grand Supreme Bloodcourt, Milking the Goatmachine, Attic am.
22.12.13 GER Mühltal bei Darmstadt - Steinbruch Theater w/ Fragments of Unbecoming am.
Ulrike Schmitz