Some relationships leave behind more than heartbreak. They leave you questioning your judgment, your worth, and how long you ignored the damage just to hold on to something you once believed was love. On “Licking Love From A Knife,” CARNIFEX confront that painful reality through the unrelenting aggression that has made them a force in deathcore.
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The new single offers another glimpse into the Southern California band’s forthcoming album, More Than Misery, arriving November 6 through Sumerian Records. Rather than treating emotional pain as something distant or abstract, the track brings listeners into the aftermath of a destructive relationship, where the process of healing can be just as complicated as the experience of being hurt.
“Licking Love From A Knife” is built for listeners who find something cathartic in heaviness. CARNIFEX’s deathcore foundation gives the song a punishing sense of intensity, creating an atmosphere that feels fitting for a subject rooted in emotional damage. There is something particularly effective about pairing such an aggressive sound with a story about recognizing that the very thing you wanted to hold on to was also causing you pain. The heaviness becomes more than an aesthetic choice; it gives that frustration, resentment, and hard-earned realization somewhere to go.
What makes the song’s central theme so compelling is the contradiction behind its title. Love is supposed to offer comfort, trust, and safety, yet a toxic relationship can turn those expectations into something that cuts deeper the longer you stay. Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t realizing someone has hurt you. It’s accepting that the relationship you kept trying to save may never have been what you needed it to be. That tension gives the track an emotional edge beyond its sheer aggression.
Vocalist Scott Ian Lewis approaches the subject from the perspective of someone who has made it through the pain, shifting the focus toward survival rather than remaining trapped in the experience. He has described the song as his favorite on More Than Misery, expressing his hope that it resonates with fans who have escaped toxic relationships. That intention gives the single a personal quality, allowing its message to reach beyond the band’s own experiences.
There is an important distinction between simply writing about suffering and creating something that can help people feel less alone in theirs. “Licking Love From A Knife” taps into the latter, acknowledging that surviving a damaging relationship doesn’t automatically erase what happened. Healing takes time, and the emotions left behind can be messy, conflicting, and difficult to explain. For anyone who has struggled to separate love from the pain attached to it, that recognition can carry real weight.
With More Than Misery on the horizon, CARNIFEX continue exploring the darker corners of human experience through a sound that refuses to soften its edges. “Licking Love From A Knife” stands as a reminder that sometimes reclaiming yourself begins with confronting what broke you, even when the truth is uncomfortable.
Full list of upcoming tour dates below. Tickets and further information HERE
EUROPE AND UK: DEATH DOMINION TOUR
Triple co-headline tour with Despised Icon, CARNIFEX and Suffocation, with Gates to Hell
October 29th: Munich, Germany – Backstage
October 30th: Essen, Germany – Weststadthalle
October 31st: Haarlem, Netherlands – Patronaat
November 1st: Antwerp, Belgium – Kavka Zappa
November 3rd: London, UK – Electric Brixton
November 4th: Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
November 5th: Manchester, UK – Academy 2
November 6th: Sheffield, UK – Corporation – Album Release Day
November 7th: Bristol, UK – Electric Bristol
November 9th: Paris, France – La Machine du Moulin Rouge
November 10th: Lyon, France – La Rayonne
November 11th: Milan, Italy – Legend Club
November 12th: Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
November 13th: Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
November 14th: Leipzig, Germany – Felsenkeller*
November 15th: Prague, Czech Republic – MeetFactory
November 17th: Warsaw, Poland – Proxima
November 18th: Berlin, Germany – Columbia Theater
November 19th: Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
November 20th: Karlsruhe, Germany – Substage
* Expanded Death Dominion Festival bill also featuring Stillbirth, Sun Eater and Dogbite.
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