After releasing their debut album Dead In My Arms through This City Is Burning Records in 2007, Californian deathcore act Carnifex have made the move to Victory Records just in time for the release of their sophomore effort, The Diseased And The Poisoned. Despite being less than impressed with their debut, I kept an open mind toward Carnifex’s new album, hoping that the band had improved in the year between releases.

And I guess you could say that in a lot of ways, Carnifex (who currently comprise of vocalist Scott Lewis, guitarists Cory Arford and Jake Anderson, bassist Steve McMahon and drummer Shawn Cameron) have indeed stepped up and matured in their time away. In saying that, after several listens I can’t say that The Diseased And The Poisoned has really left much of an impression on me.

On the positive side of things, renowned producer Zeuss has certainly helped give the band a heavy and raw sound, which means that the group’s brutal sound certainly packs a pulverising punch. Another positive is the album’s running length of just over 33 minutes. It’s short, sharp and punishing, and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

There’s no denying that Carnifex are one brutal outfit, but it’s the negatives that really bring this album down. Throughout The Diseased And The Poisoned, it’s one bludgeoning track after another, with absolutely no quarter given. But for all the obvious brutality, there’s no evidence of any real songwriting. Sure, there are some cool grooving passages in some of the tracks (particularly in “Among Grim Shadows,” “The Nature Of Depravity,” “Innocence Died Screaming” and “Answers In Mourning”), there’s just not enough of them to make the album as a whole all that memorable. Basically, it’s all a bit bland.

The Diseased And The Poisoned is an OK album, and a release that’s a cool listen if you’re after something that’s not too taxing on your undivided attention. But if you’re looking for an album to blow you away, and keep you coming back to time and time again, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

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