CARVE - Revel In Human Filth - Metal Reviews - Diabolical Conquest Webzine

Today, obese ladies and genitalmen, I'm going to expatiate upon an overlooked (at least outside of Sweden) death metal album released not too long ago. The album in context is of the band Carve, the least known of the Rogga Johansson bands (his other bands being Paganizer and Ribspreader, you ignorant ass-dwelling shit). Alas, Carve was put to sleep and I being a fairly regular visitor of its obscured tomb, felt obligated to honour its achievements through this conscientious webzine. Carve's discography comprises only two albums, of which the first one ‘Stillborn Revelations' was nothing more than a middling old school death metal album, but this their sophomore album ‘Revel In Human Filth' far, far surpasses it.

Essentially, Carve plays old school death metal obviously inspired by their Swedish progenitors - Dismember, Unleashed and Grave. But as this album was recorded in 2003 and not 1993, the originally inspired elements have been touched up with a slicker, more modern sound thanks to the insinuation of Vomitory in their prime (‘Raped In Their Own Blood' and ‘Redemption'), middle age Vader (‘Black To The Blind' and ‘Litany') and Adramelech (‘Psychotasia' to ‘Pure Blood Doom'). Their music has further been reinforced with punchy parts from Bolt Thrower and Benediction. Lastly, sweetening the mix for the emotional death metal girlies are melodic leads derived from Edge of Sanity. So the dish you are being served here might not be freshly prepared but with the proper taste, right quantity, some embellishments and good service, you shouldn't mind it. At the end of it all, if your ears could burp out of contentment, they would.

To seasoned death metal ears the music on this album will be nothing but déjà vu; however, you will be reliving only the fine moments. Like for instance in “Soulrape Unleashed” the excellent riff following the lovely Adramelech opener is blatantly ripped off from the title track of Vomitory's ‘Raped In Their Own Blood'. In “Hatred Unbound” there is a racy Vader part from ‘Black To The Blind' whereas nearing the end of “Storms Across A Dead Planet” one can hear a thumping Benediction part from ‘Transcend The Rubicon'. Well I can go on like that but I only want to give you losers some idea. The longest and the most beautiful song of the album “Fall of Disgrace”, is modelled entirely on ‘Crimson'-era Edge of Sanity. It elegantly alternates between the gritty parts and the heart-rending ones, invoking emotions from your heart you never knew existed or knowingly suppressed ever since you got into brutal metal. The song culminates with despairing rasps intensifying its plaintive melodies - a distinctive trait of Hypocrisy. It is obviously the best way to end this album, except that they have done it with a lame ambient/industrial instrumental track that sounds like it was taken from some first person shooter game.

‘Revel In Human Filth' is produced by none other than Dan Swano, who, almost needless to say, has done a laudable job. The best thing he's done is giving the guitar a languorous, almost ethereal sound while keeping it slightly serrated (hetero-Swedish). He has also done well to camouflage the second drawback of this album (first being its stark unoriginality) i.e the utilisation of a drum machine - going by the info scooped out by my friend and compatriot Adam Conrad. Although the drums do sound thin and synthetic, they don't pose much of a threat to the listening experience. In the vocal department Rogga does a commendable work of growling like Dave Ingram with the occasional enunciation of Peter of Vader.

If you were to listen to this album carefully, you would realise that it is a well thought and an evocative album, not just a rehashed one. I think it's the album's Adramelech-esque harmonies that give this otherwise standard album new depth and soul, something Rogga has either been incapable of doing or has eschewed in his other superficially enjoyable bands. Buy ‘Revel In Human Filth' if you regard yourself as a pure death metal fan.

Carve - Revel In Human Filth