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Carcass: Surgical Steel

CARCASS 
SURGICAL STEEL
   When news first broke that the twice sub-genre pioneering Metal titans, Carcass, would be returning with their first brand new album in 17 years, expectation and anticipation was running understandably high. After all, 17 years is a long time to be away from anything. In the case of the music industry, 17 years away could see you landing in an entirely different world from the one you previously experienced. As for actually making music, 17 years is plenty of time to forget how to do the very thing thing that you once knew so well. Its lucky for the Metal community then that Carcass haven't forgotten a thing about how to create life affirming music. If anything, it seems that Carcass have only gotten better with time. 
   Surgical Steel incorporates far more Metallic styles than any individual previous Carcass album. For example, the appropriately named, "Thrasher's Abattoir", carries a hammering Grind-entwined sound, laid upon a strong Thrash foundation. Tracks such as "A Congealed Clot Of Blood" and "The Master Butcher's Apron", contain a plethora of fantastically placed Metallic implements. These attention drawing sections include; chugging breakdowns, sharp solos and slow bass-driven respites. The Melodic-Death crunches of the Heartwork era provide a sturdy structure throughout, but most prominently on tracks such as awkwardly titled, "Noncompliance To ASTM F899-12 Standard" and the utterly breathtaking, "The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills". These neck-breaking masterpieces act as a rather subtle reminder of just why it is that Carcass are accredited with helping to create this very style of Metal-Music. Meanwhile, "Unfit For Human Consumption" and lead-single, "Captive Bolt Pistol", offer up far more than just putrefied and brutal lyrics, both leaning more toward the Symphonies Of Sickness days in terms of speed and morbidity.           
   Vocally, Jeff Walker is in the finest form of his life. laying down disease ridden lyrics without breaking his stride. He has the remarkable ability to snarl and growl his way through songs, without making the lyrics completely inaudible. Even if your a fan of extreme vocals, being able to understand the lyrics makes the songs slightly more individual and improves their identity.     
   Carcass certainly can't be accused of cheating or deceiving here. Surgical Steel presents a very lean, stripped back, yet distinctly Carcass sound. Which is hardly surprising really, after all, this group of Metal-Masters know how to produce time withstanding music without all the smoke and mirrors of the technological age.
   No-one could have possibly asked for a greater reward for their patience. Whether you've been waiting 17 years or just a few months, Surgical Steel has proved to be very much worth the wait. This album is the sound of a musically tight and dedicated band. So what ever Carcass's next step may be, Surgical Steel will certainly keep the Metal community satisfied for a considerable amount of time to come. 




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Album artwork: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW70C1hXHDPOF4894ohCU9WJS8Fp0nxfIXqS-LpTNZhA_sHIyW1q-xAyfLW1hYO5ZeYGhlUhUm9V9rg7LixCS6LC3iZLi04V6ZuL60KbsZkvcX3L42i547UPAnTg2OAlUuxVvxcwZqP8fY/s1600/Carcass-Surgical-Steel.jpg

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