Album Review: Carcass - Despicable
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
It’s been a long time since the raw goregrind of ‘Reek of Putrefaction’ marked Carcass as one of the most extreme metal bands in the UK. 2013’s ‘Surgical Steel’ has been the only release since 1996’s ‘Swansong’ from as band with true legendary status. With their much-anticipated ‘Torn Arteries’ on hold until 2021 due to the pandemic, Carcass have been true to their word and released some new music in the shape of this four track EP. I say new music because much of this EP has already been released via streaming sites. The opening track, ‘The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue’, ‘The Long and Winding Bier Road’ and last year’s ‘Under the Scalpel Blade’ are already in the public domain. The tracks on ‘Despicable’ will not feature on ‘Torn Arteries’, so if you are a fan, picking up this EP is a must.
Many extreme metal fans have dismissed Carcass in their latter works, the band’s more melodic and progressive style some distance from their earlier splatter metal style. For those who have enjoyed the band’s development, then ‘Despicable’ should hold plenty of interest. ‘The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue’ blends old school fire with a smoother, calmer and yet still aggressive delivery. Hell, I may have been wrong but it didn’t half sound like a synth buried in the middle of the track although I am willing to put money on Bill Steer adding the effects through his own guitar work. At just shy of six minutes, it’s by far the longest track on the EP and it’s a grower. I had to give it several plays when it was first released. The combined speed of full throttle thrashing and slower passages works well, and Jeff Walker remains a genuine vocal force.
Whether the elitists will be so kind to ‘The Long and Winding Bier Road’ remains to be seen. Instantly recognisable, the slower more melodic passages work well with the perpetual pounding of Daniel Wilding, Walker snarls and roars his way through the track whilst Steer and fellow guitarist Tom Draper’s delivery is subtle and understated. ‘Under the Scalpel Blade’ has a fire in the belly, a huge stomping track with those familiar chords and structure. This leads to the closing track, ‘Slaughtered in Soho’, which is drenched in an opening melody before taking a dark turn. This ode to drinking has a slower than expected tempo, an almost sing-along chorus, and it’s one that is salvaged by a quite bluesy guitar solo.
I’m not one of those people who demands a repeat of the previous album by any band. ‘Despicable’ has some interesting points, changes of style and direction whilst still holding grit under the nails. Whether it will be as well received by the legions of old school fans remains to be seen, but as an appetiser for their seventh full-length, it certainly whets the taste buds.
