Artist: Carrion
Album: [ BLOOD + DIAMONDS ]
Label: Independent
Release Date: 14/10/2022
Location: Norway
Norway’s underground industrial metal force Carrion return with another dark, dirty and brooding offering titled [ BLOOD + DIAMONDS ].
As always with Carrion, this album takes the band’s sound in a different direction to the last. Elements on the previous release’s sound can still be found woven into the fabric of the album, however there’s more than enough new elements to feel fresh, exciting and innovative.
There’s a heavier focus on the industrial side of things here, with a slight reduction in the metal influences. That isn’t to say that they aren’t there because they definitely are, and anyone who loves cold machine-like industrial metal guitars will still fine enough here to be happy about. However, there’s a definite shift in focus to make this a darker, more brooding, emotional and industrial driven release. For me personally I really appreciate this new direction and think that the band’s atmospheric ability is on full display here.
While Hide’s signature distorted shrieked almost alien sounding vocals are still present in the mix, there’s a new focus on a deeper, more ominous sounding semi spoken, semi sung, slightly distorted vocal style that most fans of industrial music should know and love. There’s a great balance struck between these two styles, and they really work well to balance each other out. There’s also a less frequently used third style that sits between sung and shouted, with a somewhat punk feeling to it, which should also feel familiar to many industrial metal fans.
The industrial elements are less swoony than previous albums, expressing a little more of a minimalistic approach. This allows each element to shine in the mix and makes it easier for the band to attain the melancholic undertone that permeates this release. There are some lighter, more emotional sounding tones and textures woven in the mix in parts and they really elevate the album’s overall complexity of sound.
Overall, the album is in my opinion a step in a fantastic new direction and one that I can’t wait to hear more of. While the album is relatively short being an EP and only having four tracks, I feel like the band did a great job of making it still feel highly impactful. So if you’re an industrial metal fan of any capacity then make sure to give [ BLOOD + DIAMONDS ] a listen.
Listen to and order the album:
