Macabre – Carnival Of Killers

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Unabated and unrestrained, such is the stigma and mission statement of a band whose career spans longer than the lives of some of which who will read this article; unhindered and undeterred, MACABRE, cares not for consumer demand or its kin and as such has crafted something in deference to absolute defiance: “Carnival Of Killers.”

The 16 track 41 minute piece commences with an instrumental simple entitled, “Intro,” which performs exactly as its described, though of course favoring a whimsical and circus-esque delivery before ending on dissonance. The introduction accomplishes it what it sets out to do and so much more at that, wherein its audible irritation foreshadows the album’s tendency to not resolve any motif or expression. The first song in full to represent the prowess and performance of the band is “Your Window Is Open” which begins in discord between guitars prior to the band joining their atonal scaling; the leads that proceed each chorus break away from the song into mournful solos that highlight the simplicity of the song; on that, the song sounds that it is itself constructed solely on minimalism, where the song as a whole is more concerned with the broadening progression of a sensation rather than telling a story.

“Stinky” is constructed on a bouncing kind of sensation which uses the odd expression to tell an odd and ostentatious tell on the subject of John Wayne Gacy. The lyrical continuity is straightforward though the word choice is beyond odd and auspicious. “Abduction” is an incredibly small and straightforward progression shared between bass and a single guitar, though the haste and clean nature of the performance highlight’s the bands abilities as musicians, making one wonder why such an expression wasn’t the foundation of a full length song. “Tea Cakes” is an informative song telling the story of Leonarda Cianciulli, also known as the “Soap-Make Of Correggio;” the song itself is a tight-fitting quite well constructed composition whereupon each musician plays off one another in a start-stop fashion—the song reminds me greatly of the earlier works of, MACABRE, “What’s That Smell,” in particular.

“Them Dry Bones,” is another odd song whose progression and rhythm is based on a slew of works that have evolved over time, the most recent being “The Skeleton Dance” which is a children’s song that itself evolved from an old spiritual song written by James Weldon Johnson back in the late 19^th century whose original title was “DEM BONES.” The song shares a similar lyrical rhythm and progression to “The Wheels On The Bus,” which itself was based on the old British rhyme “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush,” both of which serving as basis and inspiration for “The Wheels On The Bug.” The song is simple  and touches on the murder spree of H. H. Holmes with a harmony that reminds me of Ike And Tina Turner.

The overall fidelity of the album leaves the listener wanting and a bit dismal considering the band’s history, though the informative lyricism of each track is something for which few artists ever do and is itself worth some manner of merit due to its sheer audacity. MACABRE, triumphs as a band in reference to defiance, the same 3 people are still together creating music that wrests the listeners attention just as much as it stultifies others; truly, there are little bands capable of achieving what MACABRE has and continues to do so within the same span of time. For anyone who’s a fan of the band the album is a humorous and informative addition, though for passers-by the band’s humor will most likely be too niche.

Songwriting: 6
Musicianship: 7
Memorability: 10
Production: 6