Carcass – Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast Records)

It’s been a very long time since any brand new material was heard by British metal legends carcass, 18 years in fact but they’re back. A lot has happened in the past 18 years, prime ministers have been and gone, bands have made it big and then disbanded and there’s been more deaths in the Queen Vic then I dare to count but Carcass’ brutality has remained the same.

The genres of grind and death metal are extremely niche and difficult to listen to when not executed correctly but listening to this new release by Carcass is a breath of putrid fresh air. Carcass haven’t changed their style in any extreme way but if anything stayed more or less the same which if anything shows their importance to the genre.

Yes they may be one original member down due to health reasons but this hasn’t taken anything away from Carcass they are still as brutal as they were nearly two decades ago when they called it a day. Listening to a dozen brand new tracks from a band that innovated death metal isn’t a bad way to spend your Sunday evening at all.

I would usually describe the tracks and how they sound but if you are a Carcass fan then expect to hear exactly what you want to hear and if you haven’t heard Carcass before then just look at the name. These guys are anything but easy listening.

Since the band originally called it quits their name has always been in the back of extreme metal fans minds. Christ the band even got name dropped in an episode of the hit TV show friends.

It’s been far too long since anything new from Carcass was heard and it’s great to hear the band back on great form. 8.7/10
Chris Storey

Watch ‘Captive Bolt Pistol’ below

Catch CARCASS live on the Metal Hammer Defender’s Of The Faith tour:

12 Nov // Birmingham, O2 Academy
13 Nov // Manchester, O2 Academy
14 Nov // Glasgow, Barrowland
15 Nov // Bristol, O2 Academy
17 Nov // London, Forum

Buy tickets: http://bit.ly/CarcassUKTour