Carnifex

Formed in 2005 in Fallbrook, San Diego County, California, Carnifex emerged from the American deathcore wave with an approach that gradually incorporated black metal influences, hence the frequently used label “blackened deathcore.” Around vocalist Scott Lewis and drummer Shawn Cameron, Carnifex developed from its earliest recordings a dense, dark and confrontational sound, blending breakdowns, death metal riffs, cold atmospheres and lyrical themes centered on despair, anger and loss. After the EPs Carnifex (2006) and Love Lies in Ashes (2007), the band released Dead in My Arms in 2007, followed by The Diseased and the Poisoned (2008), Hell Chose Me (2010) and Until I Feel Nothing (2011). During that period Carnifex toured extensively across North American and European metal scenes, notably alongside Whitechapel, Parkway Drive and Cannibal Corpse. The band went on hiatus in 2012, resumed activity the following year and began a second phase with Die Without Hope (2014), Slow Death (2016), World War X (2019), Graveside Confessions (2021) and Necromanteum (2023). The current lineup features Scott Lewis, Shawn Cameron, Cory Arford, Fred Calderon and Neal Tiemann.