Carnifex – More Than Misery ( Album Review)
Release date: 6 November 2026
Record label: Sumerian Records
The Riff Doctor's Score: (08/10)
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Diagnosis
Carnifex are back with a brutally heavy, relentlessly aggressive slab of emotionally driven blackened deathcore that delivers everything fans love, even if it occasionally plays things a little too safe.
Best Tracks: No Gods Only Graves, More Than Misery, Licking Love From A Knife, Roses & Rotting Corpses
Deep Cuts: The Process Of Pain, Coffin Crowned King, Only The Dead
The Full Review
For over twenty years, Californian deathcore veterans Carnifex have been delivering some of the most gloriously miserable and downright punishing music around, and with their tenth studio album, More Than Misery, they're certainly not about to start mellowing out now.
Following 2023's excellent Necromanteum, the band return with ten tracks of crushing breakdowns, sinister atmospheres and enough blast beats to leave your neck in serious trouble. There are a few changes behind the scenes, including a move to Sumerian Records, but at its heart, this is Carnifex doing what they do best. The biggest difference is the lyrical approach, with frontman Scott Ian Lewis exploring what happens after the suffering rather than simply dwelling on it.
Opening instrumental "...and I Held Hands With Death" sets a sinister atmosphere before "More Than Misery" comes crashing through the speakers. The title track is an absolute monster, combining blackened orchestration, filthy riffs and Lewis' trademark guttural vocals. Guitarists Cory Arford and Neal Tiemann help deliver that wonderfully nasty mixture of crushing rhythms and menacing melodies, while drummer Shawn Cameron provides the relentless battery underneath. It's a fantastic statement of intent and a reminder of just how devastating Carnifex can be in all their bloody glory.
"The Process Of Pain" brings Entheos vocalist Chaney Crabb into the equation, and pairing two such ferocious vocalists is certainly an exciting prospect. It's another exercise in sheer brutality, while "No Gods Only Graves" keeps the punishment coming with its combination of old-school deathcore aggression and miserable atmosphere. Both fit comfortably within the band's vicious sound, although by this point you might start wishing they'd throw in a few more surprises.
Things get a little more interesting with "Coffin Crowned King," where the eerie atmosphere and more adventurous guitar work offer some welcome breathing room amongst the carnage. Arford and Tiemann's contrasting guitar approaches are an important part of Carnifex's sound, balancing the brutally heavy rhythm work with more atmospheric touches. It's these little details that stop everything from becoming one endless breakdown.
"Roses & Rotting Corpses," meanwhile, is an absolute bruiser. The down-tuned grooves, relentless drumming and filthy breakdowns are everything you'd want from Carnifex. Cameron's drumming is a huge part of the band's appeal, switching between furious blast beats and crushing grooves, while bassist Fred Calderon helps give the low end that enormous, stomach-churning weight. It's not particularly complicated, but sometimes you just want something that makes you pull a disgusted face when the riffs kick in.
"Only The Dead" continues the relentless assault, although now the album's biggest weakness starts becoming apparent. There's so much aggression on display that some of the material risks blending together. Thankfully, "Gothic Serpent" brings a few interesting guitar details into the mix, with its dissonant black metal touches helping it stand apart from the surrounding chaos.
"Heart Made Of Teeth" keeps things suitably nasty as the album approaches its conclusion, before "Licking Love From A Knife" brings proceedings to an ambitious close. At nearly eight minutes, it's easily the longest track here, tackling the emotional fallout of toxic relationships and the struggle to move forward. It's an interesting and deeply personal way to finish, although the ambient introduction arguably drags things out longer than necessary.
While the production is absolutely enormous and the musicianship consistently impressive, Carnifex occasionally sound a little too comfortable sticking to their formula. The constant barrage of blast beats, breakdowns and guttural vocals is undeniably effective, but a little more variety would work wonders. Compared with the more atmospheric ambitions of Necromanteum, there's a sense that the band could have pushed themselves a bit further.
Still, it's difficult to complain too much when the results are as punishing as this. Lewis remains a commanding and visceral presence behind the microphone, the guitars sound absolutely disgusting, and the rhythm section delivers the sort of relentless battery that makes you wonder how anyone manages to play this stuff without requiring medical assistance.
More Than Misery is Carnifex sticking to their guns and delivering another ferocious helping of blackened deathcore without worrying too much about reinventing themselves. It might not be their most adventurous release, but when this band gets everything right, they're still an absolute force to be reckoned with. It's heavy, miserable, occasionally predictable, and completely unapologetic about all three, and really, would we want Carnifex any other way?
Jack Merry for The Riff Collective
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