"Carnifex" are an American deathcore band formed in Fallbrook, California in 2005 around the talents of Scott Lewis (vocals), Shawn Cameron (drums), Rick James (guitar), and Kevin Vargas (bass). and have released five full-length albums and one EP. The name of the band is derived from the Old English Latin word äúexecutioner; literally meaning, "executioner".

Carnifex play an extreme metal musical style known as deathcore, which is a hybrid of the genres death metal and metalcore. After releasing a self-titled demo through Enclave Records, James and Vargas departed, and were replaced by bassist Steve McMahon and guitarist Travis Whiting, resulting in the 2006 EP Love Lies in Ashes. The band inked a deal with This City Is Burning Records in 2007 and released their full-length debut, Dead in My Arms, during which the band recruited a second guitar player, Jake Anderson. The following year, Carnifex signed with Victory Records and endured another lineup change with the departure of McMahon and Anderson and the addition of Fred Calderon and Ryan Gudmunds. The band announced their hiatus from touring for the "foreseeable future" on October 9th, 2012, and announced their return from this hiatus on June 10th, 2013 and would be a part of the 2013 Impericon Never Say Die! Tour line-up.