UMUR "Misled by Certainty" is the 6th full-length studio album by US extreme metal act Cephalic Carnage. The album was released through Relapse Records in August 2010. There´s been one lineup change since the release of "Xenosapien (2007)" as longtime member and guitarist Zac Joe has been replaced by Brian Hopp. Promotional videos were released for "The Incorrigible Flame" and "Ohrwurm".

Cephalic Carnage used to be known for playing a very eclectic grindcore/death metal style with elements from both deathcore, sludge, avant garde, and metalcore. Things changed slightly on "Xenosapien (2007" though. That album was a more streamlined release although all of the above styles were represented to some degree. That development continues on "Misled by Certainty" which is an even more accessible album than "Xenosapien (2007" was.

The music on the album is technical death metal with "core" leanings. The technical riffing and drumming is at times very impressive and I´m reminded of an act like Atheist on the most technical sections. The vocals are predominantly high pitched aggressive "core" type vocals, but there are deeper growling vocals and some aggressive vocal variants present in the music too. Cephalic Carnage haven´t completely forgotten their experimental grindcore past, so there are the occasional spastic grindcore part featured on the album too. Mostly the tracks are in the technical death metal style though. The band have found room for a sludge metal track on the album too in the 12:11 minutes long "Repangaea". This is something they´ve experimented with before with success and "Repangaea" proves to be a very impressive track too. Great building atmosphere, strong varied vocals, and intriguing details. It´s definitely one of the highlights on "Misled by Certainty".

The production is powerful, clean, and generally suits the music very well. "Repangaea" would probably have worked even better than it does with a more filthy production, but the rest of the tracks prosper from the sound.

Cephalic Carnage have really grown into a force to be reckoned with in the last 10 years and "Misled by Certainty" is another really strong album by the band. If you can appreciate the "core" elements in their technical death metal sound (which is often a bit of a task for old school extreme metal listeners), it´ll probably be apparent to most people that Cephalic Carnage is a unique and highly talented act with a distinct sound. "Misled by Certainty" is probably their least "experimental" release yet, but it has other qualities that makes it a very worthwhile listen. Great powerful sound production, extremely high level of musicianship, and an adventurous approach to writing music are just some of the elements that makes this album a great listen. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

J-Man A Change In Direction... But a Very Good One

From Lucid Interval onward, Cephalic Carnage is slowly straying away from the brutal, crazy grindcore that made them famous, replacing that with a more polished technical death metal approach. Anomalies and Xenosapien showed fewer grind elements in Cephalic Carnage's music, but 2010's Misled by Certainty has the Colorado-based quintet with a completely redefined sound. Although I enjoy both eras of the band, I have to say that I am very pleased with the new and fresh sound Cephalic Carnage is pursuing. There are still quite a few crazy 30-second grindcore outbursts on Misled by Certainty, but in-between these sections we are greeted by a more melodic Cephalic Carnage. What is the result of such a change in direction? Possibly Cephalic Carnage's best album yet. It's still as brutal as anything, but the intricacy and attention to detail that was somewhat lacking on their earlier releases is finally here.

The music on Misled by Certainty is similar to that of the last two Cephalic Carnage albums, albeit a bit more melodic. What that means is that this is brutal technical death metal with some weird and crazy twists. Throughout this album you'll hear saxophone solos, a few beautiful sections, heavy riffing, atmospheric synths, and crazy grindcore spas-attacks. Needless to say, that's not what you can expect from your everyday extreme metal release - and that's why Cephalic Carnage is so worthy of praise. Of course, the dedicated grindcore fans who enjoyed albums like Conforming to Abnormality and Exploiting Dysfunction may feel a bit disappointed, but for death metal fans who are looking for a unique spin on the genre are definitely in luck with this release.

Misled by Certainty is a 14-track, 53:36 album. Although there are a few cuts that I don't really enjoy, there is some of Cephalic Carnage's best material to be found here as well. The opening number, The Incorrigible Flame is probably my favorite song here. The technical madness of Abraxas of Filth, the melodic Dimensional Modulation Transmography, and the epic Repangaea are also notable. This is an extremely varied album, though, and just because you like a few tracks does not mean you will like all of them. You need to have a very open mind when approaching this release.

The musicianship is some of the best in extreme metal. Cephalic Carnage is an extremely tight-playing group, and they always play in perfect (dis)harmony. Although all of the musicians are terrific, I must say that John Merryman's drumming has always been the highlight in Cephalic Carnage's music for me. He is just a complete technical monster - certainly a force to be reckoned with in extreme metal!

The production is great. It's crystal clear, heavy enough to fit the music like a glove, and powerful enough to convey all of the feeling in the compositions. If you're looking for an extremely professional sound in extreme metal, look no further than Misled by Certainty!

Conclusion:

Misled by Certainty is a terrific 6th album by Cephalic Carnage. This is the perfect balance between satisfying the faithful and expanding the fanbase. I don't hesitate in calling this the best Cephalic Carnage album so far, and I really hope the band further explores this genre in the future! As for know, this is a big 4 (almost 4.5) star rating. If you like your metal to be crazy and extremely heavy, but still enjoy a sense of direction, this is an essential 2010 album!