Carcass - Swansong (1995, Deluxe CD+DVD Reissue 2008)

Limited edition 2008 album reissue comes housed in a deluxe digipak with extra artwork. The DVD features a new 30 minute documentary ('The Pathologist's Report') that features interviews with all key band members filmed in London and Liverpool 2007. Swansong was Carcass' last album, originally due to be released on Columbia Records in 1995, but eventually issued on Earache in 1996.

Swansong is the final studio album by the British melodic death metal band Carcass. Due to continuing record company problems with Columbia/Sony causing the album to be delayed from late Summer 1995 to June 1996, in which time Carcass moved back to the Earache Records label and broke up before even releasing Swansong. The move back to Earache was dubbed by Walker as "the second great rock and roll swindle" (Kerrang! - June 96) as they had effectively been paid twice for the same album. Swansong, which featured twelve of the seventeen tracks put to tape during the recording sessions, drew some criticism from fans for its melodic riffs which in some ways bordered on late 1980s thrash. This last official album also incorporated more melodic elements ("Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody", "R**k the Vote") and some doom metal elements ("Don't Believe a Word"). The band had always shown a sense of humour in their song titles, and Swansong illustrated this with titles such as "Keep on Rotting in the Free World" and "Generation Hexed". The latest edition of the album, released on 21 July, comes packaged in a twelve-panel digipak with full artwork and lyrics as well as a limited edition sticker sheet with classic Carcass motifs. It also features the previously Japanese-only bonus track "Death Rider Da" as well as the fifth and final part of the extensive interview The Pathologist's Report. Later editions contain the album on a CD and the documentary on a separate DVD, and don't include the sticker sheet.

Although 1993's excellent Heartwork opus had already served notice of Carcass' increasingly commercial new direction, much of the group's loyal contingent of fans still viewed 1995's Swansong album not as a natural progression but as a huge betrayal. One of the leading lights of the British grindcore movement, Carcass had made a name for themselves with their unrelenting sonic fury and unbelievably disgusting lyrics. But on Swansong, much of that fury was reigned in to accommodate more conventional song structures topped with articulate, at times even humorous lyrics (see "Keep on Rotting in the Free World") from vocalist Jeff Walker. With axe men Bill Steer and Carlo Regadas trading scorching leads to pave the way, the band's technical mastery and newfound melodic sensibility come through like never before, resulting in a style reminiscent of latter-day Coroner, or even Megadeth's work in the early '90s. Memorable numbers like "Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody" and "Child's Play" highlight the quartet's keen sense of dynamics, and their desire to experiment with new sounds leads to such unexpected moves as employing acoustic guitars on "Firm Hand." Simply put, Swansong represents such a remarkable evolution (or de-evolution, depending, again, on your viewpoint) for Carcass that comparing it to their prior achievements leads to an interesting quandary. While it is easily the most accessible chapter of the band's career, the album hardly offers a fair introduction to the bulk of their brutal legacy. Therefore, while fans of unadulterated grindcore should approach with caution, listeners seeking out an excellent example of technical thrashing will love what Swansong has to offer.

~ Eduardo Rivadavia, all media guide

CD - Tracklist:
length: 51:00 min

01. Keep On Rotting In The Free World
02. Tomorrow Belongs To Nobody
03. Black Star
04. Cross My Heart
05. Childs Play
06. Room 101
07. Polarized
08. Generation Hexed
09. Firm Hand
10. Reek The Vote
11. Don't Believe A Word
12. Go To Hell
13. Death Rider Da #

# - Bonus track, vocals by Colin Richardson


all songs written and arranged by Carcass
Produced by Colin Richardson. Engineered by Stephen Harris
Recorded & Mixed at Battery Studios, London (February - April '95)
Mastered by Noel Summerville at Transfermation.

DVD - The Pathologist's Report Part 5: Decomposition
Brand new documentary with all key band members, filmed in London and Liverpool 2007

01. Issues With the Release
02. Extreme But Not As We Know It
03. Moving to Columbia
04. The Cover Artwork
05. Mike Hickey and Carlo’s Involvement
06. The End is Nigh
07. The Aftermath
08. Influencing the Next Generation
09. Ken Talks About His Illness
10. Outtakes



• Jeff Walker - vocals, bass
• Bill Steer - guitar
• Carlo Regadas - guitar
• Ken Owen - drums

Originally Released: May 30, 1996
Re-Release Date: July 21, 2008
Number of Discs: 2 (CD and DVD)
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Label: Earache Records (US)
Catalog No.: MOSH-1602