History & Biography Carnal Forge was formed in 1997 and specialized in rapid-fire death and thrash metal. The band’s name was taken from the song of the same name on Carcass’ Heartwork album. A demo entitled Sweet Bride was released. Petri was initially the bassist.
With Magnusson's departure in 2001, Kuusisto switched over to guitar. Carnal Forge announced a tour of Japan for 2003. Furthermore, guitarist Jonas Kjellgren's other band Centinex was slated to open. The act announced an album for 2003 entitled The More You Suffer. In related news, Jonas Kjellgren, Carnal Forge drummer Stefan Westerberg, and former S.I.B and Turabus singer and bass player Mikael Danielsson formed a new doom metal band called World Below.
The More You Suffer was recorded again at Studio Underground. It was released in April of 2003. The band also played at March Metal Meltdown in the USA and was billed alongside Halford, Immortal and others as part of the Metal Gods package in 2003. The band was forced to cancel a European tour with Misery Index in the spring of 2004, "Due to reasons beyond our control..." The band announced the release of a DVD called Destroy Live instead. Aren't You Dead Yet? was issued in August, 2004.
Singer Kjellgren quit the band in order to concentrate on his studio work. His replacement was Jens C. Mortensen formerly of Slapdash, Leech and Revolver. Candlelight Records signed Carnal Forge in late 2006. Testify For My Victims, the working title for the band's sixth album, was to be mixed at Black Lounge Studios in early February, 2007 with an expected May release date. Former guitarist Jari Kuusisto had a new band in 2008 called Sour System. The guitarist and singer Mortensen left early in the year. Construcdead’s Peter Tuthill joined the act. Carnal Forge replaced drummer Stefan Westerberg with Chris Barkensjö of Construcdead (ex-Grave). Westerberg would focus on Headstone and Steel Attack. Former Carnal Forge singer Jens C. Mortensen joined the Swedish thrash metal act One Hour Hell as the band's new bassist.
The group disbanded in late 2011. The songs written by bassist Lars linden would be used in a new project called Delerium. Carnal Forge reformed in April of 2013. The band was singer Jens C. Mortensen, guitarists Jari Kuusisto and Petri Kuusisto, bassist Lars Lindén and new drummer Lawrence Dinamarca (Loch Vostok and Bleeding Utopia). The band was recording a demo. The band would release a single, called When All Else Fails, on April 30th of 2014. It included the songs Chemical Disincorporation and Bleed For Me. The latter song featured solos from Per Nilsson from Scar Symmetry and Mike Wead of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate fame. Carnal Forge was back with a 2019 album called Gun To Mouth Salvation through ViciSolum Productions in January. Jari Kuusisto had returned to the band. Singing was Tommie Wahlberg. The band had been on hiatus for three years in 2010.
Reviews CARNAL FORGE - FIREDEMON - CENTURY MEDIA
The Second album of Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge has now appeared through the ever-enterprising Century Media and, no surprises, the quintet is the creator of 12 tracks of merciless thrash metal with no break for dilution. Pure attack as this slayer grips you and hurls you around such that you will feel no more than a living sacrifice at the mercy of pure slashing guitars and rumbling drums. Little surprise for where former Uncanny/Centinex man Jonas Kjellgren goes violence follows. The man makes you feel like the haunted, all defleshed and faced with the terrible certainty that death is close. It's all that heavy! The band mug shot depicts a truly ugly five bunch, but thrashers must overlook that and pay this demon a visit. - Ali "The Metallian"
CARNAL FORGE - PLEASE... DIE! - CENTURY MEDIA
So jumbled! At first I thought I will like the album - pure thrash metal and all. Then comes Century Media's notification that Kerrang liked Please... Die! enough to accord it a 4/5. OK, it has to suck then. About to find out...the slaves are carrying the music disc to the magic music box. Start churning...churn faster, not interested in intros, beep, beep, beep...'your Metallian Majesty, at your disposal melody number one 'Butchered, Slaughtered, Strangled, Hanged'...no doubt composed in honour of your recent victory in the battle of Xenopos'...yes, not bad, not bad. Hmmm very Rosicrucian, not bad! 'Metallian Majesty, please accept medley two Hand Of Doom undoubtedly chronicling your treatment of the enemy'...Hmmm, even better kicks off thrashing hard and there is quite a bit of fret-movement on this. Replay it my serfs! Quite close to At The Gates and we like it - better! 'Metallian Majesty, Everything Dies possibly a song...' Yes, yes we tire of your speculation, just whip the slaves into working the magic box. Good song, we like it. Like much of the album some seriously thrashing metal thankfully unlike Exodus or whatever. This one has energy. We approve! Release this disc to all the subjects of Metallian Towers and surroundings. Worthy of my subjects save the redundant 'hidden track'...yes. - Ali "The Metallian"
CARNAL FORGE - THE MORE YOU SUFFER - CENTURY MEDIA
Taken to its appropriate conclusion, the title for Carnal Forge's new album would be The More You Suffer, The More You Will Be Bored! The Swedish thrashers' fourth album does nothing for me. Funny how an album chock full of fast riffs and heavy melodies could be so banal, but Carnal Forge has managed it. Stylistically, The More You Suffer is a cross between recent Slayer and Darkane. The by-the-numbers approach blends one song into another -with sheer ferocity, mind you - in ways no thrash metal fan would have thought possible. Carnal Forge has a hard task making individuals out of its songs ahead of it. - Ali "The Metallian"
CARNAL FORGE - AREN'T YOU DEAD YET? - CENTURY MEDIA
Look at the name of the new Carnal Forge album. It looks like the Swedish thrashers wish to forget their disappointing 2003 album The More You Suffer and draw a line from this album to 2001's Please... Die!
Aren't You Dead Yet? is a reasonably good thrash album which, while not overly innovative, has turned out quite OK. The songs are hard, the two-vocal system is aggressive and the bass sound has been turned up a notch to good effect. The best thing about the album though is the compelling guitar soloing. Lead after lead manages to please. One would be tempted to say that the solos alone would justify getting the album.
Obviously with song titles like Decades Of Despair, My Suicide and Burn Then Alive the group is not trying to cheer anyone up. Metal fans can nevertheless smile knowing that somewhere across the pond pure thrash metal is both alive and kicking. - Ali "The Metallian"
CARNAL FORGE - TESTIFY FOR MY VICTIM - CANDLELIGHT 
A three-year absence, a new label, a new singer and a modified sound; Carnal Forge is back with Testify For My Victims, a cool title for this cool album. It would be nice if one of the band members were to oblige and victimize a person or two. Clear the first row for my seat would be reserved in court to hear the villain testify!
The band’s sixth album is still thrash metal, but has taken a soft turn towards early Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad and Darkane. The change is both musical and a consequence of the recruitment of Jens C. Mortensen. The modification is hardly surprising for the new frontman has previously served in Slapdash. Song-wise the speed is still there in the title track and Lost Legion, the bass and tempo changes are cranked up on Freedom By Mutilation (the ultimate S&M title), while Biological Waste Matter shows off the guitars and Ante Mori slows down to the tune of Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss. It has previously been mentioned in these pages, but Carnal Forge has above average guitar dynamics on nearly every song. The Kuusisto brothers have unnecessarily been buried in the shadows of the Amott brothers of Arch Enemy unfortunately. Fans of The Haunted, Arch Enemy, Darkane and even Slayer should not so routinely overlook Carnal Forge. Testify For My Victims is a genuine thrash metal album that could easily yield some victims if a few more people get to hear it. - Ali “The Metallian”
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