CARCASS - Surgical Steel (2013)

fuck the song is still going

mid-song calm riff coulda been on a fucking Christopher Cross album and then they went back to the face melting

9:42 - longest Carcass song ever?

Kelly's Meat Emporium - I know this was released months ago but I deliberately didn't listen to keep it a surprise.

more of a bite-sized immediate track, love the main riff and the thunderous drums underneath it. less surprises lurking around the corner, a little more "first three tracks of Surgical Steel" energy.

In God We Trust - opening riff is practically doom metal. then it goes to fist pump tempo pretty instantaneously.

this almost feels Sabbathy at times, but faintly.

a beautiful clean arpeggiated riff featuring another beautiful melodic solo from Steer, lord he's just giving it all on this album.

ok there are hand claps on the song, i am dead. like i'm talking "That Thing You Do" handclaps.

Wake Up and Smell the Carcass/Caveat Emptor - this starts out like a fuckin' Sword song.

sinister riff takes over with octavized lead guitar over it, then we're back to the Sword.

for some reason Jeff Walker is enunciating a lot more on this track.

wow this got hyper melodic real fast, and then goes from an arena-rock riff to a mosh pit crunch-riff instantaneously.

I am describing this album terribly. it is fantastic.

ok now i can't tell if this is gonna slow down extremely or get mega fast.

oh fuck it did the former and it's heavy af. yes.

The Scythe's Remorseless Swing - 70s hard rock riff begins this one, could appear on Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jeff Walker is doing a pirate voice, perhaps unintentionally.

ok i give up, i have run out of ways to describe what I'm hearing, I just really like this song.

I didn't dislike a song on the entire album.

i can't wait to relisten to this shit.

my rating, out of 10, is 300.

I'm about to listen. The consensus of the early write-ups seems to be 'good not great', but Neanderthal has given me hope...

ok there are hand claps on the song, i am dead.

There was one review I skimmed bemoaning the handclaps, but I am down with handclaps in metal.

i love “eleanor rigor mortis” title on down

The Devil Rides Out

Not a cover of the Whitchery song I take it?

So it's good! Not quite delivering the "fuck yeah" endorphin rush that Surgical Steel delivered on first listen, it's a murkier, more convoluted affair (sometimes to a fault, "Flesh Ripping..." could easily be a few minutes shorter). The quality of the riffs can't be denied though. It will take a few more more listens to assess the songcraft.

part of Surgical Steel's initial endorphin rush for me was the fact that we had one of my top 5 favorite bands back after a 17 year hiatus. I feel like had they gave me this album instead of SS, I might have had a similar reaction, though I do think SS is a more 'immediate' album. the songs use similar songwriting philosophies as Heartwork does.

this one definitely seems more ponderous and goes more angular directions, but never without being hooky af. can't wait for my third listen. it's on deck!

there's a boxed set version of this album that comes with the vinyl, a cd version, and....get this....a dinner set, including a plate with the cover of the album on it. and a 24-page booklet.

tempted. I want to eat off a Carcass plate.

I'm willing to bet that almost none of these plates will ever be used as actual dinnerware, unfortunately.

I would totally eat bagel bites off it

hammer smashed

Middle aged metal bands are really only an inch away from the Elvis porcelain figurine stage of their careers.

I would totally eat bagel bites off it

― you had me at "giallo" (Neanderthal)

Or microwaved uterogestation...

Iron Maiden will be pissed off they hadn't thought of it

This is not a good album.

It is a great one.

Otm. I am enamoured with it after five listens

less immediate than surgical steel but after a few days with it: probably better

kinda feel that way too. I'm also not burning out on this one. Surgical I played to the point of ridiculousness for a few months and I still can jam it and love it (in fact, it's going on next), but for a little while I was wiped out on it.

I think I'll be playing both back to back for a while. I love this band. and when I first saw them in 2013 I had no idea we'd get two new studio albums from them.