Brazilian veteran death metallers CARNIFIED recently released the “Carnage For The Gods” EP across all digital platforms. It is the follow-up to “Nocturna” single (2021), which marked the group’s return after a hiatus of about 15 years.

The trio formed by Dan Loureiro (vocals, bass), Marcos Franco (guitars) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums) is now sharing a new EP experience through the lyric video produced for “In Darkness…“. It was created by Andrey Drake Silveira, the artist responsible for facing the challenge of presenting the group’s lyrics about ritualistic and dark scenarios, and also taking the listener to Askardem, the universe created by Carnified.

“The lyric video for ‘In Darkness’ is the first of a series of initiatives by Carnified to give our fans access to the lyrics and the rich universe of Askardem“, explained guitarist Marcos Franco. He added, “Our lyrics are connected and tell a story. We want people to experience our songs not just for the sound, but also to discover the next episode in this intriguing story.“

Andrey commented on the production of the video: “When Marcos approached me to produce a lyric video, I didn’t know the depth and grandeur of Carnified’s work. Me, Marcos and Vicente started to develop the artistic concept based on previous works The photography used in the other works, retro style, enchanted me, in addition to combining perfectly with the development of the story, another thing that got my attention at first. I realized that I could not develop something basic, with the rich narrative, the universe itself, I dedicated myself to delivering something worthy of this masterpiece.“

“The sound was something else that left me speechless. It’s aggressive, heavy, dense, melancholic, reinforcing the narrative, putting you in the middle of events, but in the choruses, we get emotional, striking melodies amidst the chaos of events, bringing softness amid the heavy sound, everything very balanced, resulting in a nice and balanced music, making us repeat each track.“

Check out the track list and cover art for “Carnage For The Gods” EP below.

1. In Darkness…
2. Our Own Blood

Carnified is one of the veteran forces from Brazilian extreme metal scene. Formed in 1994 by Alex Oliveira (vocals), Eduardo Araújo (bass), Leonardo Pinheiro (guitars) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums), the group released its first demo, “Putrid Development“, in 1994. In 1996 the group’s music changed, influenced by the British death/doom metal acts, which resulted in their second demo, “The Carnification“. In 1998 their line-up also expanded, becoming a sextet, with which they recorded their first EP, “O Primeiro Elo“. With lyrics that tell stories of a world inhabited by gods who envy the human form, they released in 2001 “Where The Gods Bleed“, their debut album.

In 2005, the group went into a hiatus that ended only in 2020. “We wouldn’t go back if it weren’t for something with real meaning,” explained the drummer Vicente Azevêdo. After working on the re-release of their old work, the band, which is now a power trio formed by Dan Loureiro (vocals, bass), Marcos Franco (guitar) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums), released “Nocturna“, a single with the goal of going back to their essence, and which featured the guest vocals of Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle of Filth, Therion, Hecate Enthroned).

The end of 2022 sees Carnified starting a new chapter with a trip to the universe of Askardem through the release of “Carnage For The Gods” EP, an effort that mix the brutality of death metal with the beautiful melodies and dark riffs of black metal.

Line-up:
– Dan Loureiro (vocals, bass)
– Marcos Franco (guitars)
– Vicente Azevêdo (drums)

Brazilian veteran death metallers CARNIFIED resumed its activities in 2021, taking everyone by surprise with “Nocturna” single. The trio, formed by Dan Loureiro (vocals, bass), Marcos Franco (guitar) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums), is starting a new chapter of its journey with the release of “Carnage For The Gods” EP, now available on all digital platforms.

This new effort brought the challenge of maintaining the level achieved with the single, which had the participation of the unparalleled voice of Sarah Jezebel Deva, the singer known for lending her voice to acts like Cradle of Filth, Therion and Hecate Enthroned.

Guitarist Marcos Franco commented: “We managed to find the balance between the roots of our sound known by fans since the 90s and bring these compositions to the present, with the weight and melodies that we seek to convey our history, or rather, the most suitable way to present our conceptual universe called Askardem.”

“We couldn’t release songs with a sound level and composition lower than ‘Nocturna’, so we explored the individual talents of each musician and went to our limit to make two strong, heavy, brutal and deep songs. I’m sure we managed to achieve our goal.”

The lyrics of “Carnage For The Gods” present ritualistic and dark scenarios, and to represent them, Carnified explored a mix of chants, growls and clean vocals, where Dan Loureiro‘s talent shine, while Vicente Azevedo brought folk beats, that combined with the traditional death metal, bring striking and creative elements to his drums.

“The guitars bring our previous compositions back, but adding more chromatic and heavy elements that make a parallel with beautiful melodies and the atmospheric and dark riffs of black metal. We proudly invite everyone to listen to ‘Carnage For The Gods’ and hope to meet you soon”, added Marcos Franco.

Click here to listen to “Carnage For The Gods“.

Tracklist

1. In Darkness…
2. Our Own Blood

Carnified is one of the veteran forces from Brazilian extreme metal scene. Formed in 1994 by Alex Oliveira (vocals), Eduardo Araújo (bass), Leonardo Pinheiro (guitars) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums), the group released its first demo, “Putrid Development“, in 1994. In 1996 the group’s music changed, influenced by the British death/doom metal acts, which resulted in their second demo, “The Carnification“. In 1998 their line-up also expanded, becoming a sextet, with which they recorded their first EP, “O Primeiro Elo“. With lyrics that tell stories of a world inhabited by gods who envy the human form, they released in 2001 “Where The Gods Bleed“, their debut album.

In 2005, the group went into a hiatus that ended only in 2020. “We wouldn’t go back if it weren’t for something with real meaning,” explained the drummer Vicente Azevêdo. After working on the re-release of their old work, the band, which is now a power trio formed by Dan Loureiro (vocals, bass), Marcos Franco (guitar) and Vicente Azevêdo (drums), released “Nocturna“, a single with the goal of going back to their essence.

The end of 2022 sees Carnified starting a new chapter with a trip to the universe of Askardem through the release of “Carnage For The Gods” EP, an effort that mix the brutality of death metal with the beautiful melodies and dark riffs of black metal.

Brazilian veteran death metallers CARNIFIED, after 27 years of existence, released their first video, shot for “Nocturna” single. The single marks the band’s return after a 15-year hiatus and features none other than the glorious English singer Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle of Filth, Therion, Hecate Enthoned).

The video was directed by Marcos Franco, music producer and the band’s guitarist. He was influenced by horror movies as well as characters that are part of “Askarden“, a fantastic world created by the band’s drummer, Vicente Azevedo.

In an interview conducted by journalist Marcele Correia, Vicente explained the choice of making “Nocturna” a black and white video: “Fantastic stories need elaborate special effects to represent them, and over time these effects can become dated. The real cinema that I appreciate comes from light and shadows and this is the classic, the timeless”.

Horror movies were the biggest influence on this video. Elements like the color of Nosferatu (1922), the high shutter exposure of House of Haunted Hill (1959), the backlight of The Exorcist (1973), the camera movement of the flight of vampires in The Lost Boys (1987 ), and the mysterious shadow in the corner of the child’s room from the movie Insidious (2010) are some of the influences.

Sarah Jezebel Deva comments about the single: “It was a great privilege to be invited by Carnified to participate in a song on the new album. I had just bought equipment so I could record at home and they were the first band that approached me while I was learning. recording at home. I love the track, I loved the result and I wish the band lots of success in the future. They deserve it!”

Watch “Nocturna” video HERE.

“Nocturna” single is available on all digital platforms, listen to it here.