Valentine’s Day is usually reserved for love ballads and syrupy declarations of affection, but Carniwhore is here to rip all of that apart with their ferocious new single, (This Is Not A) Love Song—a track that’s less about heart-shaped chocolates and more about setting fire to the whole idea of romance. Released on February 14, 2025, this Stoke-on-Trent horror-fueled metal act has turned the holiday of love into an absolute bloodbath of blistering riffs, menacing theatrics, and unapologetic chaos.
Carniwhore is not your average metal band. They don’t just play music—they create an experience, a spectacle that blends horror and heavy metal into something that feels both thrilling and terrifying. Their masked, nightmarish stage presence is matched only by their raw, relentless sound. With (This Is Not A) Love Song, they take everything saccharine about Valentine’s Day and smash it with a sledgehammer, replacing it with bone-rattling drums, razor-sharp guitars, and vocals that howl with fury.
The track opens with a slow, eerie build, like the calm before the storm, before launching into a sonic assault of pure aggression. The guitars slice through the mix like a chainsaw revving to life, while the pounding drums feel like the rhythmic march of something monstrous closing in. Then come the vocals—brutal, unrelenting, dripping with venom as they tear apart the fairytale illusions of love. There’s no soft sentimentality here, no promises of forever—just the raw, guttural realization that not every love story is meant to last.
The band describes the single as an anthem for the misfits and the broken-hearted, those who have been burned by love and are done pretending otherwise. It’s an exorcism of emotion, a cathartic release for anyone who’s ever felt trapped in the cycle of romantic clichés. With lyrics that cut deep and an instrumental attack that refuses to hold back, (This Is Not A) Love Song is designed to be screamed at the top of your lungs, fists clenched, with the sheer energy of letting go.
Carniwhore’s commitment to blending horror with metal isn’t just a gimmick—it’s a full-fledged identity. Their live performances are a spectacle, with masked performers channeling the energy of a horror show into a relentless, high-octane concert experience. There’s blood, there’s chaos, and most importantly, there’s an unapologetic commitment to making heavy music feel like something more than just sound—it’s an event, an atmosphere, a world you step into.
With this latest release, Carniwhore proves that metal doesn’t need to follow the rules. While the rest of the world is serenading their loved ones, they’re setting the stage for something far more visceral. (This Is Not A) Love Song is a battle cry for anyone who has ever felt disillusioned with love, a song that channels pain into power and turns rejection into a headbanging, scream-along moment of defiance.
Carniwhore isn’t just making music; they’re rewriting the rulebook for horror-infused metal, and if this latest single is any indication, they have no intention of slowing down. This is loud. This is brutal. This is not a love song—and that’s exactly why you need to hear it.
