Carcass "Torn Arteries" (2021)

 

Its been eight years since the legendary Grindcore *and* Melodic Death Metal pioneers Carcass returned to the scene with their mighty Surgical Steel record. My excitement for this new album was stirred greatly by the EP Despicable released as a holdover comprised of outtakes during the pandemic. Its strange but what mustered my interest seems missing on many of the new songs here, mostly in its aggressive arrangements. Perhaps the music falls into the routine and expectant as Bill Steer and Jeff Walker write this collection of new songs from safe space creatively.

Torn Arteries is another power house of Melodic Death Metal, executed with a clean, approachable tone and embellishing production to give the aggressive snarling shouts and blast beats a softer edge. It illuminates the web of melody and cushioned groove woven between its harsher elements. Chugging guitars drift into melodic inflections as bright luminous lead guitars turn a lick into a solo. It all sounds gorgeous with a notable easing up from drummer Daniel Wilding who's kick and snare grooves come with space at easier tempos to give room for digestion of the entangled guitars.

 In its opening phases the temperament is all a little too contained and unadventurous, at least in terms of finding new ground. I can't put my finger on quite why but its not until In God We Trust that I get any goosebumps. I'd say at the mid point with The Devil Rides Out, the pace picks up as bigger riffs and more exciting stints of aggression come into play. I adore this sound and style but Carcass stick so closely to it. Perhaps that's what I liked about the cuts that didn't make this record? In not being up to snuff, they had a little difference I found exciting.

One thing that rocks throughout is Bill's lyrical hooks. His snarling shouts are often a bit much to decipher but he gets the catchiest lines out with a knack for creating ear worms. The way he barks "Whats the joke?" or spewing wordings like PVC and Skullduggery. He has a knack, obviously, for that twisted medical savagery they embellish their identity with. "As the serpent rises from a maternity ward" being a favorite as it paints an utterly bizarre image of genetic experimentation gone wrong.

I've sat on this one for a while now, spinning it over and over, hoping that some much needed adrenaline would flow, like other Carcass records do for me... but still its not quite there yet. I can't critique much here at all, I think its a fantastic set of songs with a great sounding production. Its probably the lack of novelty or originality that is missing for me. At a time where I am starting to think I need some new musical adventure, this was just all too routine? Either way, I can't knock Torn Arteries, it will go in the collection for rotation and hopefully the surprise of shuffle will reconnect me with these songs in the future.

Rating: 7/10

Carcass "Despicable" (2020)

I was eagerly awaiting a new Carcass album. It has been seven years of silence since the reunion record Surgical Steel. Disappointment struck upon learning this release is simply a four track tie over to the full length pushed back by the ongoing pandemic situation. Despicable's four songs apparently "didn't make the cut". Considering these are pretty darn enjoyable numbers, I'm now even more excited for Torn Arteries, now delayed and set to drop sometime next year.

Returning again with their defined textural flavor of Melodic Death Metal, seasoned musicians Jeff Walker and Bill Steer craft warm, inviting strands of extreme music. Residing mostly within the mid-tempo, even temperaments of aggression and melody play out mostly from an approachable middle ground. The drums rock steady grooves with fractional forays into challenging blast beats and dexterous sequences. Distortion guitars churn out sturdy power chord arrangements with exciting iterations on the fretboard, mostly manifesting into dazzling sparks of color as the lead and rhythm guitars work in tandem. Its only notably "extreme" in brief moments.

Its the raspy, whispering shouts and screams permeating all of the music that anchors the edge down. With a snaky serpentine flavor, they slither over these songs with severity. Not to get too hung up on the Extreme Metal angle but if you strip out the vocals, this record is basically an accessible set of adrenaline charged songs with gorgeous melodic entanglements and great song writing. Everything comes together wonderfully, even with a catchy hook or two. On Slaughtered In Soho, the slaughtered lyric is cried out, wrapped in a brief reverberation after the lovely unraveling melodic refrain from the lead guitar. Its leads are continuously sublime.

Everything about this record feels measured and in balance. Some of the more creative, tempo breaking riffs come with a keen sense of quality over going "full throttle". The breakdown riff on Manchester Morgue makes great use of deadening the power chords on path to the next. Small details and moments like this are illuminated when a guitar solo wails over top. Its great writing, over exploiting techniques. Despicable has a fine production, crisp, bright instruments get to dance in the forum of aggression underpinning the overall mood. My only annoyance is the use of cowbell. It forays into the music on occasion but something about that instrument never feels right to me.

Rating: 6/10

Carcass "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" (2014)

Hailing from Liverpool, England, Carcass are a pioneering Extreme Metal group who's roots were originally in Grindcore before defining their trademark sound with 93's "Heartwork", an album thats originality and production has had a lasting influence on Metal music and could be considered a very important album and the beginning of Melodic Death Metal, a genre, that as the name suggests, brings tune and melody to the forefront of a brutal and dark aesthetic. Disbanding in 95 the group have reformed in recent years and taken their time to write a spiritual successor to Heartwork, "Surgical Steel", released in 2013. This EP contains 5 tracks from the same recording session that didn't make the final cut.

Despite being left overs from the album, this short listen retains the energy and level of quality Surgical Steel delivered. Any of these songs would sound great on the album, however none of them are stand out tracks with anything notably attention grabbing. These are typical Carcass songs, tightly performed Death Metal with melodic leads, tight grooves and a consistent creativity from the rhythm guitar, decorating these tracks with a diversity that keeps them fresh and appealing. These tracks did feel somewhat "lighter" with a focus on the rockable grooves and vocal hooks over any "all or nothing" heavy moments.

After a few listens I am left with a slight emptiness towards this record, these are fantastic songs that really deserve to be part of a full length and the nature of a short listen leaves me yearning for more. Great songs but the format falls a little short for a band like Carcass. On a final note, Heartwork is a special album, one that we will discuss soon.

Favorite Track: Livestock Marketplace

Rating: 5/10