It's ok, the blasting chorusy bit I think falls very flat on it's face, the guitar sounds terrible in my opinion. Really thin and what could have been an excellent heavy bit sounds very flat now. The solos are pretty cool though and the main riff is good enough too. Jeff's vocals sounds decent too.

Some perspective to keep in mind is this song is being released on a sampler disc for a magazine. That doesn't inherently mean it's a throwaway but also not a medium I'd consider if I was in their position to showcase the absolute best or the most representative cut from a new album either, even if it has been 17 years.

new track is pretty solid. good throwback to heartwork-type stuff with a few touches from necroticism. definitely not hearing the swansong comments - if anything, its a step away from that sound (and in any case, i think swansong is a good album.)

not too sold on the super-clear production, though. i would've liked it to be just that *tiny* bit muddier. seems every band these days is going for that crystal-clear sound. i suppose its the in thing, but its a shame.

Sneap was in charge of the production after Richardson left the job for mixing the new Trivium. Maybe that's the reason of the clinically clean production. Heartwork also was very stale in the prod department, it was probably what the band wanted anyway.

Isn't the album named ''Surgical Steel''

Its funny because "surgical steel" is a term a lot of shitty cheap knife manufactures like to put on their knives, when really its just to cover up that its 440c. lol

Not bad, on par or better than what I was expecting songwriting-wise, but nothing incredible. The production being so clean and that guitar tone are really going to hamper the overall sound... the riffs are fine but man, any time they kick into a lead or especially the solo it just sounds like all the current tech death bs and ceases to sound like Carcass. A super polished production, Carcass should not have. Interested to hear the rest of the album though, regardless.

As much as a return to Reek/Symphonies would have ruled there was no way that would actually happen, they ditched grind a long time ago, but if this song is any indication I think we'll get a decent death metal album out of them.

Remember that no popular death metal band these days with any money in their pockets is going to put out anything with "raw" production. If they recorded something that sounded muddy and raw, some of you that like Reek of Putrifaction would be happy, but everyone else would say wow, they spent all this money making a new album and the production sounds like St Anger. I think clean production enhances the overall sound because you can actually hear what they're doing, instead of a big muddy mess.

And I honestly don't think we're going to see any solid grind elements on this album. Not that I think it's a bad thing. I like their first few albums plenty, but they simply don't play that anymore. They evolved and progressed. I think the most grind we'll see is in the lyrics, and maybe more blastbeats than we heard on Heartwork and Necroticism.

There is a ludicrous amount of variance in production between "so squeeky clean it sounds thin and lifeless" and "so raw it's just a wall of noise." St. Anger didn't have a "raw" production, it had an exceptionally shitty one. Compare how Captive Bolt Pistol sounds to how the last Exhumed album sounds: http://exhumed.bandcamp.com/album/all-guts-no-glory

Exhumed is a band that built their empire on sounding nasty (and sounding like Carcass) and while AGNG certainly had their cleanest production sound to date it retained enough of the grit that was present on their classics so that every note they played not only sounded like Exhumed but also sounded like legit death metal, not the ultra sterile hogwash that is so prevalent with "modern" metal these days. I'm not foolish enough to think Carcass will ever play goregrind again, I just think that song would sound a lot better without Sneap's production job making them sound like a totally different band every time they play a lead.

The production of Exhumed on the link you sent me was fine. It could use a few tweaks, but I'm pretty sure they did the best they could. I would call it fairly clean. But I'm more referring to how some people seem to want them to have the production quality that reek of putrifaction had, which would be unacceptable these days. That being said, I can promise you that Carcass' budget for this album is a LOT more than Exhumed's. And in this day and age, with that much money and hiring some of the biggest and "best" producers around, you are going to get clean, clear (and unfortunately brickwalled) production. And I just don't see why so many people hate clean production. You can hear clearly what every instrument is doing, there's no clipping and fizz and fuzz and out of tune notes, it doesn't sound all muddy, etc. Now when they brick wall the entire album to get every single decibel out of it they can, I don't like that one bit, but that's a sad aspect of most modern production.

Thanks for the link though, I've never listened to Exhumed before and I'm enjoying them.

Ultra clean production to the point where you can hear the guitarist plucking the chords without any single bit of fuzz or mud in a death metal album is a good thing? Since when? I'm no production purist here, I listen to stuff from Darkspace to Beyond Creation in terms of production, but boy do I agree with dontlivefastjustdie. That production on that specific song/sound style pretty much takes the life out of it. It's like those people saying that the Death albums are only listenable once Relapse remastered and remixed them! For fuck's sake, they were already classics with the muddy production!

It's a death metal album, and even though it has a gigantic budget and big name behind it it can still sound fucking dirty! See post-reunion Autopsy for reference.

Actually yeah, I don't want any fuzz or mud in the guitar tones. I want a sound engineer that actually knows how to mic a guitar amp. I want to hear the guitar amp roaring in my ears, without any slop, off-frequencies, or anything like that. I don't think sounding dirty is a good thing, especially at this budget level. And I wouldn't call this ultra-clean production at all, just uhh, I guess you could say standard modern metal production. I don't see how it takes anything away from the song either, unless (not saying this to be rude) a person is one of those metal elitists that think only the most ultra raw production is a good thing and everyone else is a sell out. If you want overdone modern production, go listen to bloodbaths nightmares made flesh. That thing is absolutely brickwalled to death. This song is just clean modern production, which I think is what it deserves. In the end I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Didn't I just say I'm not a production elitist?

The thing is, although I would actually like this kind of production in other bands, in Carcass it ends up sounding off. It's like listening to an Incantation album with too clean production, it just doesn't work for me. I don't have a thing against modern production styles as long as they fit the artist and the album's sound, but if it doesn't then it bothers me. And at the risk of repeating myself, I don't want my Carcass to be too clean. That's all.

I know you said you weren't, I didn't mean you, I just mean people in general who harp too much on clean production. Didn't want to sound accusing there.

I fully understand your comment. I guess because Heartwork was the first I ever heard of Carcass, I'm more used to their cleaner stuff, so for me cleaner production fits them better. Also I like blasting stuff on my car stereo and my subwoofers like clean kick drums better haha.

You can have distinguishable notes in a dirty production if it's done right. I think the thing is that most people would rather hear a metal sounding album with harder to make out riffs than a squeaky clean album with no dynamics or atmosphere.

As a huge Carcass fan, the new song isn't bad, but it isn't really good. Admittedly, I wouldn't be giving it much of a second thought if it wasn't for Jeff and Bill, but at least it gives hope for an actually decent album and it's great to hear them playing this style of music again.

Well, therein lies one of the big problems with modern production. It's nice and clean, but they also brickwall it to shit. If they kept the clarity but left some dynamics I think it would make a lot of people happier, and sound better overall.

I'd say lyrics can be qualified as gore, but not grind. I can't think of what "grind" applied to lyrics should mean.. If anything, "classical grind" lyrics should be about societal issues, like early Napalm Death or Extreme Noise Terror lyrics. Though Carcass were a grindcore band from the same generation, they were the only ones with gore lyrics, so I don't think that they defined the lyrical style for the genre.

Unless you meant: we won't see any grind at all.

Anyone else got the feeling the cover art is gonna be some gory ode to British Steel?

Song is okay. Pretty solid, but nothing else really. I don't understand any love or hate for the song. It's pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, aka 80% Heartwork 20% Necroticism. I might check it out, but I'm feeling pretty indifferent.

Disgustingly sterile.

LOL

GUYS SRSLY

I lol at all of you guys who say "sterile", because you say it sounds "clean, sterile, polished" "worse than their previous offerings" etc. while this sounds exactly like Carcass (No, this doesn't sound like a "Carcass clone", what the fuck is wrong with you...), and like the song "Arbeit Macht Fleisch" its kind of a Heartwork/Necroticism hybrid. LOL! TECH DEATH SOLOING? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Most ridiculous shit I have heard since... well 4 hours, but the point stands. Disgustingly sterile. Wow. I like Transilvanian Hunger too but srsly. When production is clean but still heavy its still good production. Its brickwalled, but guys, since when do you care about dynamics? Is this smooth jazz or classical music? Noooo, its death metal, where dynamics go to fuck themselves since everyone uses EMGs. LIKE FUCKING REEK OF PUTREFACTION HAS CLEAN INTERLUDES. By the way, Exhumed are kind of mediocre since Anatomy is Destiny (The album itself had only a few truly good songs and rest was meh). It isn't thin and lifeless like modern tech death bands which play on gain "1" for the clarity. It sounds as heavy as Symphonies of Sickness, (No, "Reek" isn't heavy, as much as I love this album, because its muddy and fuzzy with little meat and you cant hear a fucking thing. Rather intense, but not heavy) and the production is as good, and its because it FITS. Cant imagine them playing Heartwork-ish stuff with gain turned up to 11. In metal, as long as its heavy and fitting production, its a good production, even if its clean. Its even better when you dont have to sacrifice meat for clarity, and here it seems to be achieved well. Both clean and heavy. Not slam death level heavy but heavy. Like Carcass always was.

If you wonder, I like Enmity and you cant hear shit there, so no, im not opposed to "raw" production as long as it fits.

Honestly I don't see how everyone is saying it just sounds like their Heartwork material, and any Swansong comments are just downright ignorant.

To me, the only part that sounds like Heartwork is the verse riff, and MAYBE the solo section too. But the overall feel of the song and the entire chorus is way more like Necroticism than Heartwork. It's way more frantic than anything on Heartwork and the vocal patterns are quicker and more aggressive.

The production is a bit too clean, but it doesn't ruin the song or anything. I mean it is a Sneap job....

Honestly I think people should just be excited that their first song in however many years is as good as their early 90's material. To me, this sounds like how Carcass should sound in 2013. It's worthy of their classic material while still sounding fresh and relevant. It's just a matter of whether or not people appreciate the more modern aspects.

I have to agree with you, im not very impressed with the new song but nowhere do I hear melodic riffs(expect for the solo), and it does sound closer to Necroticism only a bit more modern sounding.

By all accounts Carcass where headed in that direction with their production, so it shouldn't be upsetting unless you despise their later material. A few minor tweaks and the production would sound like Heartwork. That Carcass clone jibe is ridiculous, they would have to reinvent themselves to not be a clone by your standards, but then they wouldn't be Carcass.
Agreed on the Swansong comparisons although I don't recall seeing any, but there's undeniably a Heartwork style to it. And the verse riff with the opening makes up 50% of the song with an additionally 10 to 15% with the soloing section, so by default it is actually not closer to Necroticism.

Yeah but everyone is jaded because it's not like Symphonies of Sickness and the production is slightly too polished.

They could always spend less money... I think opulence ruins people.

I have zero issues with the production on the song. It's still got enough bite to not be a nuisance.

everyone seems to become a critical listener when it comes to really clean production on metal albums these days....it's perfectly fine sounding the way it is. i like Beyond Creation's production, and I like Incantation's production, but given the choice between clean and raw, i'll take clean any day of the week. A lot of good work went into this and given the opportunity, id probably come out with a similar production job. actually talking about the song, it's pretty enjoyable and i'm looking forward to hearing more

There are extremely high-budget sounding death metal production jobs that sound incredibly powerful, such as Grand Supreme Blood Court. There is more to it than either sounding like lo-fi black metal or utterly clinical and powerless, and anyone who misses that point is intentionally being dumb.

The production isn't the biggest issue the new Carcass album is going to have, at any rate.

I guess it depends on the music. I think all of Carcass' albums sound exactly the way they should for what they are doing, including 'Reek of putrefaction'. That would sound terrible with clean production, and the same goes the other way around for 'Heartwork'.

+1.
Let's hope they put out something powerful.

I just can't reconcile why Carcass should have to be in this damned if they do or don't situation regarding the direction of the new album. Was there honestly any serious doubt by anyone that they were going to primarily expand on Heartwork, whether it be in the songwriting, the production or both? Speaking personally, those first two albums, while incredibly important for their time and place are more significant for their influence on grindcore as a whole and subsequent Carcass worship bands than how they actually stand up on their own. Perhaps another listen is necessary, but it's hardly the style that comes to mind when thinking of what the band's individual sound is. If Bill and Jeff themselves weren't even interested at revisiting that period, a decision to do so merely to appease a niche part of their audience would be every bit as disingenuous as rewriting the two albums that followed, wouldn't you think?


How is that GSBC album, by the way? Is it just more Asphyx/Hail of Bullets under a different name and even if so, is it still worth picking up?

They're not the only ones.

Metal bands spend a lot of their time getting scorned by others for their supposed lack of instrumental skill. When they finally acquire the same skills as everyone else, the temptation is to participate in the same stuff to try to get social recognition. It never works, because anyone who can compose interesting metal isn't wired toward the rock/jazz/blues/pop world (which is all about the same, only differing in degree).

Thus Carcass is trying to be Led Zeppelin to get the recognition from the "above-ground" world that never accepted them.

Like beaten children crawling back to their parents, dying to be loved.

Well, it's Eric Daniels' Asphyx, pretty much. It's definitely as strong as the others, and probably my personal favourite. Hail Of Bullets' first was excellent, but for different reasons. If you liked Deathhammer and Death... The Brutal Way, but thought they missed some of that darkness of The Rack, for example, you'll love the Blood Court. Excellent lyrics, too.

God no that album is so horribly loud overproduced.

Can we at least all agree that Jeff sounds better than ever on this new song? He's one of the best grind/death vocalists there is, and his voice still holds up well even today. I would have loved to hear a lot more Jeff/Bill switching off, though. Bill just might be my favorite growler there is.

And just hearing Bill come up with and play riffs like these again is enough for celebration.

I am pretty optimistic about this album. And I can almost guarantee you that they'll throw out a grind-type throwback song or two, and that would just be fucking great.

What I'm really hoping for, though, are the mid-paced demented riff fests like those that appear on Necroticism. The faster DM-but-not-quite-grind thing isn't my favorite Carcass sound. I want to hear some Corporal Jigsore Quandary style shit. You can hear the Necroticism guitar type riffs in the new song, but Bill is at his best in the Necro style IMO.

Sorry, what? I'm listening to GSBC and I can't hear you from behind the deafening wall of awesome.

This is interesting... thanks to you two for the recommendation.

New album teaser featuring some snippets of new songs.