In a time of global pandemic, civil unrest and political strife, even an album about murder might feel like a welcome bit of escape. Enter Carnival of Killers, the new album from Chicago’s ultimate musical weirdos; Macabre, arriving nearly a decade after 2011’s Grim Scary Tales, as the band celebrates its 35th anniversary. Formed in 1985, Macabre’s lineup has remained the same since day one—vocalist/guitarist Corporate Death (Lance Lencioni), bassist/vocalist Nefarious (Charles Lescewicz), and drummer Dennis the Menace (Dennis Ritchie). That’s a rarity for any band, let alone a band in a genre where peers with similar longevity may not feature even one original member. The trio is a vanguard of the style they’ve come to describe as “murder metal;” a ferocious mix of death metal, punk rock, grind, jazz fusion, thrash and folk melodies (among other sounds), with lyrics examining real-life stories of serial killers, mass murderers and more. What else could you call it except, Macabre? As much as their fiendish riffs and disturbing subject matter make for brutal listening, their twists of nursery rhymes, parody, familiar childhood ditties and folk tunes.
