Carcass: Reek Of Putrefaction `88, Heartwork `93, Surgical Steel `13

A seminal death metal band from Liverpool, UK, founded in 1985.

Starting out as a three-piece, Carcass were one of Earache Records' grindcore flagship and had a huge impact on the birth of so-called goregrind style. The group debuted with the extremely lo-fi underground classic "Reek of Putrefaction", which the late BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel declared as his favourite album of 1988. With 1989's "Symphonies Of Sickness" the band developed the goregrind style further with the addition of vastly improved production values. The album tour also saw the addition of a second guitarist Mike Amott. 1991's "Necroticism" was the band's first studio work as a four piece and the album, albeit incorporating highly complex guitar riffing and structures, showcased somewhat more accessible and thrashier guitar work and overall less emphasis on full-on grindcore. 1993's "Heartwork", while still being brutal and complex at times, saw the band abandon nearly all of their grindcore parts and showcased a more streamlined and catchier version of Carcass with more song oriented approach and overall more traditional heavy metal vibe with strong guitar harmonies and melodic lead guitar work. Following the success of "Heartwork" the band singed to Columbia Records, but the major label collaboration didn't turn out to be too fruitful as the band grew frustrated with the music business and proceeded to split up during the recording of their fifth album "Swansong".

Carcass reformed for live shows in 2007 with Mike Amott back in as second guitarist and Daniel Erlandsson filling in as a session drummer. Original drummer Ken Owen had suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1999, which left him disabled to perform the songs in a live setting. The "reunion" touring cycle ended when Amott and Erlandsson left the band in 2012 to focus on their main band Arch Enemy.

In February 2013 the band announced that after 18 years, a new album was at works. Daniel Wilding was introduced as the new drummer and later also Ben Ash joined the group as a live guitarist.

Ash exited the band in late 2017 and was replaced by Tom Draper.

Current line up:
Bill Steer - Guitar (1985-1996, 2007- )
Jeff Walker - Bass & Vocals (1986-1996, 2007- )
Daniel Wilding - Drums (2012 - )
Guitar - Tom Draper (2018 - )

~ discogs

Tracklist LP01. 1988 Reek Of Putrefaction [2020, Earache MOSH006FDRXX]:

A1 Genital Grinder
A2 Regurgitation Of Giblets
A3 Maggot Colony
A4 Pyosisified (Rotten To The Gore)
A5 Carbonized Eyesockets
A6 Frenzied Detruncation
A7 Vomited Anal Tract
A8 Festerday
A9 Fermenting Innards
A10 Excreted Alive
A11 Suppuration
B1 Foeticide
B2 Microwaved Uterogestation
B3 Feast On Dismembered Carnage
B4 Splattered Cavities
B5 Psychopathologist
B6 Burnt To A Crisp
B7 Pungent Excruciation
B8 Manifestation Of Verrucose Urethra
B9 Oxidised Razor Masticator
B10 Mucopurulence Excretor
B11 Malignant Defecation




Tracklist LP02. 1993 Heartwork (Ultimate Edition) [2021, MOSH097FDRX]:

A1 Buried Dreams
A2 Carnal Forge
A3 No Love Lost
A4 Heartwork
A5 Embodiment
B1 This Mortal Coil
B2 Arbeit Macht Fleisch
B3 Blind Bleeding The Blind
B4 Doctrinal Expletives
B5 Death Certificate
C1 Buried Dreams (Demo)
C2 Carnal Forge (Demo)
C3 No Love Lost (Demo)
C4 Heartwork (Demo)
C5 Deliverance (Demo)
D1 This Mortal Coil (Demo)
D2 Arbeit Macht Fleisch (Demo)
D3 Blind Bleeding The Blind (Demo)
D4 Doctrinal Expletives (Demo)
D5 Death Certificate (Demo)




Tracklist LP03. 2013 Surgical Steel [Nuclear Blast 27361 31481]:

A1 1985
A2 Thrasher's Abattoir
A3 Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System
A4 A Congealed Clot Of Blood
B1 The Master Butcher's Apron
B2 Noncompliance To ASTM F899-12 Standard
B3 The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills
C1 Unfit For Human Consumption
C2 316L Grade Surgical Steel
C3 Captive Bolt Pistol
D1 Mount Of Execution
D2 Intensive Battery Brooding