Releasedate:   16-10-2026
Label: Independent

For decades, death metal has inspired many to pursue music and it found a second wind through its fusion with hardcore, but in the end, it has kept its original form alive and youthful.

With bands like Frozen Soul, Baest, and the Belgian group Carnation (which this article will focus on) serving as a backdrop to the giants of the past, it brings the brilliance of the past back into the spotlight at a time when music that shakes the foundations of a crumbling social structure is absolutely essential.

After releasing three albums through the major label Season of Mist, Carnation decided to break free from the shackles of the corporate trap and are releasing their fourth full-length album, “Symphony In Flesh,” on their own initiative (in North America, distribution is handled by Redefining Darkness Records).

The Belgian band remains a vehicle that blends many trends of the genre from the ’80s and ’90s, with the Swedish scene standing out (notably At The Gates and Dismember) while hints of influence from bands like Six Feet Under can also be detected, but if you’re looking for a more contemporary act that may have inspired Carnation, check out Bloodbath.

Some of the lighter moments with clean vocals that were present on the previous album, “Cursed Mortality,” have disappeared, and Carnation now focuses on their melodic heaviness.

The production is exactly what a fan nostalgic for the genre is looking for, and the cover art is the kind that would make me buy the album before hearing a single note, since it perfectly captures the despair and disillusionment that the sound of these Belgian death metalers instills in humanity.

There isn’t much more to say about such a straightforward album. Things are as simple as your very survival. You breathe in, breathe out, and continue to exist. Carnation, however, as they breathe in, absorb years of knowledge and return it to listeners who are thirsty for pure death metal, and who in turn eagerly grab their fiddlesticks, ready to bleed for metal.

And to wrap things up, they conclude the album with an eleven-minute tribute to their forefathers, titled “Legacy of the Forefathers.”

The carnation still bleeds…

Line up:

• Simon Duson – Lead Vocals
• Jonathan Verstrepen – Lead Guitar
• Bert Vervoort – Rhythm Guitar
• Yarne Heylen – Bass Guitar
• Vincent Verstrepen – Drums

Links:

Official
Bandcamp