Polish death metal band Decapitated is lucky to be intact. Actually, scratch that. We as listeners are lucky to have Decapitated in existence, offering up a crushing new tech masterpiece that’s deliriously good.

This band seemed headed down the right track when they signed on with Nuclear Blast a few years ago following their 2006 album “Organic Hallucinosis,” released by Earache, but tragedy struck afterward when they were involved in a traffic accident in October 2007 near Russia. That incident claimed the life of the band’s drummer Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka and severely wounded singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek, leaving guitarist Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka not only dealing with Decapitated’s future but, more importantly, coping with the loss of his brother. Vogg took time away from performing, then started working in a music store before fellow Poles Vader asked him to fill in on guitar for their tour. Eventually, he started thinking about his own band again and whether a resurrection was possible and proper.

Vogg assembled a new lineup for the group’s comeback record “Carnival Is Forever,” and the results are stunning. Their fifth album is a punishing, mind-blowing tour-de-force that not only does the band’s reputation well, but also serves as a proper salute to Vitek. Surely Vogg’s heart will always hurt, as he lost a sibling and a musical partner he played with since they Kieltykas were young. But he should be proud of this triumph of a record that should catapult the band into the upper echelon of Nuclear Blast’s roster and the massive death metal heap.

Below, find a link to my review of “Carnival Is Forever” at Lambgoat’s site. Typically I ignore the comments there (unless, of course, it’s constructive criticism, which I always welcome) but a few questioned the number I assigned to this album. I will say that I kept going back and forth from 8 to 9, and eventually I settled on an 8. People who think it deserves higher, I don’t disagree with them, really. In fact, since I submitted the review, I think I’m leaning more toward a 9. But that’s the state of music reviews. You write something so you can give people a glimpse of a piece of work as close to the release date as possible, but albums typically grow or fade over time. That’s the nature of it. And I listened to this record many, many times before writing the piece. So a few weeks ago, I felt it was an 8, but now, I can see where a 9 would be fitting as well. So there you go.

To read my review at Lambgoat, go here: http://www.lambgoat.com/albums/view.aspx?id=2937&band=Decapitated&review=Carnival%20Is%20Forever

The band also will be hitting North America for a tour in support of “Carnival Is Forever,” and those dates can be found below. Also on the bill are Decrepit Birth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rings of Saturn, and The Haarp Machine.

09/30/11  Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY

10/01/11  Kingdom – Richmond, VA

10/02/11  The Acheron – Atlanta, GA

10/03/11  State Theater – St. Petersburg, FL

10/05/11  White Rabbit San Antonio, TX

10/06/11  TBA

10/07/11  Clubhouse  – Tempe, AZ

10/08/11  SOMA – San Diego, CA

10/09/11  Foro Alicia – Mexico City, MÉXICO

10/10/11  The Whisky – Hollywood, CA

10/11/11  DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA

10/12/11  Branx – Portland, OR

10/14/11  Studio Seven – Seattle, WA

10/15/11  Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, B.C. – CANADA

10/16/11  Republik – Calgary, AB – CANADA

10/17/11  The Exchange – Regina, SK – CANADA

10/18/11  Park Theater – Winnipeg, MB – CANADA

10/20/11  Miramar Theatre –  Milwaukee, WI

10/21/11  Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL

10/22/11  Alrosa Villa – Columbus, OH

10/23/11  Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH

10/24/11  Opera House – Toronto, ON – CANADA

10/26/11  Club Soda – Montreal, QC – CANADA

10/27/11  Gramercy Theater – New York, NY

10/28/11  The Reverb – Reading, PA

10/29/11  Saints & Sinners Fest – Asbury Park, NJ

10/30/11  Jaxx – Springfield, VA

For more on the band, go here: http://www.decapitatedband.net/

To buy “Carnival Is Forever,” go here: http://store.nuclearblastusa.com/Search/decapitated

For more on the label’s site, go here: http://www.nuclearblastusa.com