CARNIVORE „Carnivore”

Carnivore is a legend of heavy music. The band was formed in 1983 in NY by two ex-members of Fallout – Louis Batteaux and Peter Steele (yes THE Peter Steele). After getting a guitar player the „flesh eaters” started working on their debut album, which got released in 1986. Their postapocalyptic Mad Max-like image turned out to be of no lesser importance than the music. The music on the „Carnivore” album is simply straightforward but still charming thrash metal. The description isn't totally perfect because people in general think of Bay Area, which Carnivore has nothing to do with. In their music the atmosphere is the most important thing and there is no time for showing off how good you play your instrument. It's some kind of vulgar thrash counterpart to Manowar. The main difference is that the fantasy scenery has been turned into a post-nucler-war kind of world. Add some brutal non PC lyrics to the noisy „masculine” music that surely would not be popular among the adolescent female fans of TON (all lyrics are written by Pete). Some guys dressed in furs sing about raping and eating women, war etc. Among the noise of fire-arms and the roar of engines you can come along soething like this:

people don't understand hair and leather but I'm telling you I couldn't
be living better
I don't fear nothin' with my brothers on my side
fuck with us and it's suicide

Carnivore, just like Manowar, is a band you either love or hate. I decided to choose the first alternative though I'm aware of the fact that there are people who think that the kitschy image and lyrics as well as the crappy sound and the primitive song structures are a sign of the imaturity of the musicians as well as the listeners. A good comment to “Carnivore” would be this quote from a interview with Titus of Acid Drinkers: “Agree with me that there is something of a cliché country-side feeling in heavy metal….well I like the country-side…”.

Translated by: Artur “A.T” Malachowski

note: 9/10

Tracklist

1.PREDATOR
2.CARNIVORE
3.MALE SUPREMACY
4.ARMAGEDDON
5.LEGION OF DOOM
6.GOD IS DEAD
7.THERMONUCLEAR WARRIOR
8.WORLD WARS III & IV

Line-up

KEITH ALEXANDER
LOUIE BEAUTEAUX
PETRUS T. STEELE