Metal tends to be serious. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; in fact, one of the reasons metal is so powerful is because the artists are screaming their deepest held beliefs. Metal bands in the past have attempted to insert levity into their music, but have been a novelty at best and cartoonish at worst. Comedy and metal usually do not mix.
Cephalic Carnage, however, are buffoons and badass at the same time. Their affection for metal and mirth at its austerity have turned them into its jester, with one hand pointing to metal’s ridiculousness, and the other clenching a fist in praise of its awesomeness.
Thus, these jesters can pen songs about giant killer robots in league with C’thulu to destroy creation (“Warbots A.M.”) and traveling the multiverse during epic weed naps (“The Incorrigible Flame”) that are hilarious but not flippant. A slight adjustment of tone in the lyrics, and they become like The Red Chord or Nile, the only difference being perspective: Cephalic Carnage find nerdery funny. They satirize not only metal but also themselves, which is partly why they succeed where so many others have failed.
“Warbots A.M.”
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The other reason is that their technical death/grind is not a joke. The quick key change at the beginning of the record surprises me every time. When the breakdown at the end of “Warbots A.M.” drops, I feel like riding on the back of T-800 into the apocalypse. The band invested much more love and effort in their sprawling, progressive songs than simply exaggerating stereotypes would require. The pairing of incredible metal and ridiculous lyrics works both as juxtaposition and humor.
However, lameness does rear its head. The few missteps on Misled by Certainty (Relapse, 2010) are when the band takes cheap shots at NY hardcore and black metal (“P.G.A.D” and “Aeyeucgh!”). It’s too easy, like making fat jokes. Conversely, when Cephalic Carnage attempt more “serious” material, it’s difficult to decide whether or not they really mean it.
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“Ohrwurm” (official video, very NSFW)
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On Misled by Certainty’s later tracks, the jester removes his floppy hat. Obvious jokes are replaced with seeming sincerity. “When I Arrive” and the twelve-minute, Mastodon-esque “Repangaea” are surprising in their apparent earnestness, though I’m not positive they aren’t still a joke. I keep waiting for a punch line. Are Cephalic Carnage winking at us, or are we being held at arm’s length to some inside joke? Maybe I just don’t get it, and the joke’s on me? It could also be that the jester is not the prophet or the king, and Cephalic Carnage attempted that of which they weren’t capable. Fortunately, for most of the record, the jester remains in balance, with hat in place.
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This band is terrible. I saw them live once and the singer just kept asking people for weed between songs, and they were the most obnoxious they could be about it. Like a 17 year old kid with a big potleaf shirt on and baggy JNCOS who won’t shut up about “420 BRO!!!”
That song reminds me of Brian Posehn standup
Christ, that video. I’ll be curious to see how long it stays up on YouTube.
The band’s not really my cup of mud at all, but that’s a really interesting and well-shot video. It goes a little far at the end and that detracts from it, but it’s way more evocative than Avid farts, blurry figures, and the band playing in an empty room. This video, along with the Merrimack one posted here awhile ago, make me think that we’ve finally gotten to the point where the video isn’t really a mass-marketing tool for a band anymore. You can’t play either of them on TV anywhere.
That is indeed a hell of a video. It’s like if Matthew Barney directed eXistenZ or something. This video is still a marketing tool, but the target isn’t the MTV audience anymore, so the band and video director can get much artier (and crazier with the chocolate syrup and worms).
Great band, very mediocre record. Cool video though.
The band kicks serious ass! I really don’t care for comedy in metal but there superior musicianship is enough to foget about the silliness
I liked them alot up until this album. It’s terrible, just terrible. Clean singing? Mastodon? Fuck. Goodbye, fellas.
Not to mention that horrible production. Is there anything besides vocals and drums here? Booooooo!
I haven’t listened to this band since their Lucid Interval album came out, each release afterwards has been a letdown. Or maybe I just don’t care for this style anymore.
The last album I really liked from these guys was Anomalies. I tried to get into Xenosapien and this new one, but unfortunately no dice. It seems like they toned down the weirdness factor, and that was what I really liked about them in the first place.
This album sucks. Xenosapien was (is) a technical grind masterpiece, this is a technical death metal piece of shit.
I love these guys, but I have to admit… the video for “Ohrwurm” took away my ability to be aroused. Forever.
Just came back from the music store and wished I would have picked up this release instead of Obscura’s “Retribution”. Not that it’s a bad release by ANY means but I was looking for technical Death Metal this go round.
Great band offering yet another fantastic album. I’ve got no idea why so many alleged fans of the band dislike Misled. It’s got all of the elements you’d expect from Cephalic Carnage; heaviness, silliness, sheer brutality, amazing musicianship, technicality, and most important – VARIETY. I’m a huge fan of grindcore but the one pitfall of the genre is a tendency for bands to become seemingly complacent with their sound and put out an albums worth of material that really can’t be distinguished from one song to the next. For this reason Cephalic Carnage are a step above most other grind acts, as all of their albums provide a nice mix of material.
I, for one, LOVE the epic nature of “Repangaea”. True, it does sound very Mastodon-ish but I think it’s a fantastic album closer, clean vocals and all (god forbid the band has even one ounce of melody in their vocal stlye, right guys? “It’s not broooooooootal enough for me when he sings!”).
I give this album a 7.5/10.
@MiKe – I’m with you on the variety. Cephalic did an excellent job avoiding the monotony pitfall of death metal & grind. Whenever I found myself tuning out, they’d do something surprising and risky. The clean singing (which I think they pull off very well) is THE example of taking chances and I think they’re the better for it.
“Repangaea” is great in it’s placement on Misled, but it’s just an okay song outside if that. The song isn’t Cephalic’s strengths: brutality, technicality & jocularity whereas Mastodon, among other southern leaning bands, have the swagger “Repangaea” lacks. The reprise at the end bugged me too. It’s poorly executed by comparison.