Being one of the most highly lauded darlings of the underground, expectations were high for Carnival is Forever. Initial reviews and chatter from the interwebs seem to be mixed, but to these ears, the album lives up to and surpasses all expectations. In short, the album can be summed up as Pantera gone death metal and getting their Meshuggah on – seriously, this is one helluva grooving, brutal and technical beast that rarely lets up.

Continuing further down the path the band tread with Organic Hallucinosis, Carnival brings forth even more emphasis on groove and memorable, even catchy, yet brutal as a ten ton hammer hooks. Opening pair “The Knife” and “United” exemplify this right away, and later in the album with “Homo Sum” and “404”, but on the title track, it’s evident that Vogg has some new tricks up his sleeve. Opening the song with some spacey, atmospheric ambiance, it soon delves into more familiar, groove laden territory, but once again resurfaces around the halfway mark for a longer stretch. It’s something new for the Decapitated camp, but here, I’d be inclined to say it’s pulled off well, as it serves as a nice, brief respite from the usual head splitting.

Two of the albums strongest cuts are near the end in “A View From a Hole”, beginning with a slow build for the first two minutes, then kicking in like a hammer to the face that doesn’t doesn’t let up, while “Pest” contains one of the albums meanest riffs, and a breakdown just past the halfway mark that just absolutely pulverizes – I envision the earth crumbling and bones shattering every time this fucking part kicks in – just devastating stuff.

With another twist, the album closes out on a rather somber note, with more spacey ambiance. This time though, it’s a whole four plus minute track titled “Silence”. Vogg has stated it’s dedicated to his brother Vitek, and while that’s cool and all, it doesn’t really sound like it totally belongs, or at the very least, not as it’s own track to close the album – just a little too left field for my tastes maybe.

As for the new guys, vocalist Rafal Piotrowski adequately replaces Covan, bringing a similar, mostly intelligible growl, and I can’t imagine anyone filling in more admirably for lost drum prodigy Vitek than Krimh – he’s no Vitek, but he does one hell of job here bashing the skins in a very Vitek-esque fashion – he’s a good fit.

So does Decapitated still sound like Decapitated? Fuck yeah they do. Are they gonna please everyone with Carnival is Forever? No, I’m sure there are plenty of fans that will hate it and wish they’d return to the rawer, more chaotic Winds of Creation sound, but hey, you can’t win ’em all.

2006 comes in with Organic Hallucinosis and Decapitated beats the living shit out of us with some ferocious, technical death metal. It’s gonna be quite a feat to top the skills of this band, and I doubt you will find a tighter album this year. What makes Decapitated unique is the precision. Chainsaw riffs complimented with machine-gun blasting is the name of the game and it’s fucking tight. Solos are executed fast and furious and are reminiscent of Kerry King. The crystal clear production helps, but another formidable factor about Organic Hallucinosis is that it still sounds raw and gritty in its own right. Stop and go riffs slam you like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the temple, and are unrelenting.

This is a group of pissed-off kids with enough energy to climb to the top of the charts. Day 69 is my favorite track. Inhuman drumming bashes your cranium like falling rock from mountains, followed by tremelo picking that sounds like a motorcycle burning rubber over your face. I seriously can’t describe this record without emphasizing the sonic ass beating.

A new vocalist has entered the brutal picture who goes by the name Adrian “Covan” Kowanek (Ex-Atrophia Red Sun). This guy is a nice addition to the band, but doesn’t bring anything new or outstanding to the table. The problem I have with Covan is his monotone, closed mouth grunts. He opens wide once in “Day 69” for a higher pitched scream. I wish he would repeat this more often and offer the listener more range. Even though the music is quite impressive, Covan’s barking grunts of constipation get old after a few tracks and becomes downright tedious after 7. He’s got the voice, and it doesn’t ruin the record, but there is room for improvement. A band this good can go even further with the right vocal delivery. Nevertheless, he is a nice addition to the band and I see nothing but domination for this band in the future!

I’d like to break this album down track by track but honestly, this is just one non-stop technical ride everyone should take. It’s machine-like in execution, and it’s on top of 2006. Go get it!

Two years later, Decapitated returns with line-up intact and their chops choppier, their tortuous riffs more tortuous. Even at one listen, Nihility is one of the most meticulously composed albums in death metal, past or present. Armed with one hell of a guitarist and a shotgun rhythm section, Decapitated unfailingly hammer through every cliché known to the genre yet the unparalleled conviction and dedication with which the album’s eight tracks are delivered is like a fresh injection of much-needed blood. From the opening track “Perfect Dehumanization (The Answer?)” to closer “Symmetry of Zero,” Decapitated live and breath death metal, studying and analyzing the greats with a near-scientific level of precision. Decapitated are deadly, and here’s why. “Perfect Dehumanization (The Answer?)” is full-throttle tech-death rendered into a seamless riff machine, showing guitarist Vogg has more up his sleeve than emulating licks from Morbid Angel or hometown heroes Vader. “Eternity Too Short” admirably follows suite, tempos, inhuman riffs and improv-like solos jutting out in defiance like a giant set of serrated teeth.

“Mother War” could be any cut off Winds of Creation if it wasn’t for the heightened compositional sense and complete mastery of death metal riffery, rivaling only Pestilence’s mighty milestone in Testimony of the Ancients. “Nihility (Anti-Human Manifesto),” on the other hand, is a pounding cut with a Cannibal Corpse-style swagger and a Malevolent Creation-style bloodied dagger. If ever a band sounded like sonic murder, it’s Decapitated. In this day in age it’s hard not to be affected by Morbid Angel, and “Names” could very well be a relative of Covenant’s authoritative approach, and the excellent solo at the 1:15 minute mark invokes some of Azagthoth’s more memorable note-centric forays. Then there’s “Spheres of Madness.” Easily Nihility’s standout track, “Spheres of Madness” is a crafty translation of Exodus’ early chug ‘n’ chop, modernized with a Meshuggah caliber production. “Babylon’s Pride” resembles the ceaseless hack ‘n’ slash volley of “Mother War” while album closer “Symmetry of Zero” merges the groove of Six Feet Under and the prowess of Cannibal Corpse, effectively leveling both bands in the first minute of two.

We can argue into infinity on which bands push our beloved genre of death to its creative or songwriting limits, but few in this day and age have what it takes to rival Decapitated’s unreal level of talent and penchant for writing rock-solid, dexterous music. I normally chide bands who wear what they are on their shirt sleeves, but for once it’s welcome to see a band marching around in such heraldry. Decapitated’s Nihility is by far not a classic, but there are certain elements in the album’s eight grinding, anfractuous tracks that signal a death metal staple is very close.