Carcass
May-June 2023

Carcass are an English extreme metal band from Liverpool, formed in 1985. Without a doubt, UK legends CARCASS have released several classic albums over the years and changed the trajectory of extreme metal with each consecutive release. Whether it was inventing gore-grind (i.e. »Reek of Putrefaction«, »Symphonies of Sickness«) or creating the template for melodic death metal (i.e. »Heartwork«), CARCASS has always made records by which bars were set and rules were broken. Upon their untimely demise in 1996, fans mourned the loss of the seminal act and longed that the group would one day be exhumed from their premature grave. After an 18 year hiatus, CARCASS has been fully reanimated and it’s safe to say, they haven’t missed a pathological step. With »Surgical Steel«, CARCASS has risen to the occasion and given fans an album that holds up to their classic repertoire, delivering another milestone in their highly influential career. Everything a CARCASS fan could want is on this record, with every era of the band represented. Its genesis however was not without its fair share of blood, sweat and tears of course. Long-time producer Colin Richardson actually walked out on the mixing sessions after tracking, possibly burnt out from the stress of having to top such landmark productions as »Heartwork«. The equally renowned Andy Sneap (TESTAMENT, EXODUS, MEGADETH) stepped in at this time to mix the record, and put the finishing touches on their long-awaited masterpiece. The result is a combination of talent that should undoubtedly go unmatched for an undetermined stretch of time. In an era seemingly content to endlessly chug away at their e-strings in various rhythmic denominations, CARCASS has brought the power of the riff back to a generation. Songs like `The Master Butcher’s Apron´, `Unfit for Human Consumption´, `The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills´, `Noncompliance to ASTM F899-12 Standard´, are sure to become classics and put an air-guitar in the hands of every man, woman and child within earshot. Only the choicest of cuts were made to bring us a record worthy of the CARCASS legacy. In short, »Surgical Steel« is just what the doctor ordered.