Review: Mangled Carpenter - Between Blood and Silence
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
By Cole Bezotte, MetalCrawlspace.com -
A short demo, two albums, and a Christmas EP were unleashed from Mangled Carpenter. What next? Why, something that would raise the stakes even higher, of course. And this new EP met that challenge successfully.
April 17, 2026 saw the release of a new single "The Absence Of Light" that would showcase a new way for Mangled Carpenter to play death metal. Not only has the brutality been turned up a notch, but they've also thrown a hint of deathcore into the mix. But it certainly did not stop there; even the oldschool style of death metal was harnessed when they recorded a full cover of a classic Mortification banger "Terminate Damnation", originally from the 1992 album "Scrolls Of The Megilloth". This is the second Mortification cover Mangled Carpenter has showcased, released June 5, as what may have been the most hyped sneak-peek for the new EP.
And when the EP "Between Blood And Silence" released, its true potential was revealed. The three Olson brothers (Seth Metoyer, Kris Olson, and Tim Olson - A.K.A Mac Hine) go out of their way to experiment with various styles of play on every track. Stepping away from grindcore this time around, the band tackles more of a brutal take on death metal, perhaps a bit more on the slamming side, especially in their first two tracks "Between Blood And Silence" and "Carved". The latter however also harnesses more of a deathcore progression that we'd further step into upon listening to "The Absence Of Light" again.
Following the three main tracks are tributes. "Down, Down, To Goblin Town" refers to the folklore written by J.R.R. Tolkein, specifically the goblins under the mountain in the classic tale "The Hobbit". We then follow with the said Mortification cover, and finally with a death metal approach to the classic "Short, Sharp Shock", as if the quick but severe punishment was not already brutal enough.
Returning to my thoughts on the style of play and overall production quality of the EP, there is definitely more grit to the brutality that has been increased by a milestone. The band experiments with different drum programming on some of the tracks, especially with "Down, Down, To Goblin Town" having a bit of a tribal vibe (though most of the other tracks seem to have more of a brutal gore splatter).
However, even after hearing the six main tracks, the fun does not stop there. The CD includes demo versions of all the tracks, to showcase the "first phase" of the EP. There are noticeable differences in these demos; you can tell there was a shift in programming, music arrangement, and overall production quality. The biggest difference is that the rough version of "Short, Sharp Shock" is not even half the length of the final version; the demo was mainly a way to experiment with how the band would play this old tune in death metal form, as they would soon fully extend it in the final version.
That should probably tell you to get the CD if you want the complete experience. But to all you oldschoolers out there, the EP is also available on cassette! Do not hesitate to pick up a copy while they are still available!
