Carcass – Surgical Steel (2013)

Having waited since 1996 for this, we are quite impressed on how Carcass manages to bring back their best sound from the “Heartwork” and “Necroticism” and give it a certain modern kick. While fans of the band’s early material (“Reek of Putrefaction” and “Symphonies of Sickness”) will keep on hating for the band’s more ‘mellow’ music, anybody that got over this on the course of the last 20 years should definitely enjoy “Surgical Steel”. Jeff Walker and Billy Steer manage to keep the Carcass legacy intact with this excellent album.

The opener “1985” gives us a 70 second window into the riffing onslaught that this release will unleash upon the listeners. As “Thrasher’s Abattoir” blasts away, we are immediately immersed into the Carcass sound that we all love: Melodic/Thrash-y Death Metal at its finest. With the band being a huge catalyst for bands back in the 90’s to try new things and re-define the genre, they manage to capture that timeless sound and packaged with an up-to-date production and mixing.

The melodic catchiness continues with the excellent “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System”, a track that brings back memories of headbanging to “Heartwork” back in the day. “Noncompliance to ASTM F 899-12 Standard” is one of those songs that will surely be a classic thanks to the incisive riffing and excellent solos. The mixture of vocals (harsh and growls) is quite effective and gives the song that extra level of brutality that we all love.

As the riffing machine continues with “The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills” and “Unfit for Human Consumption”, the band shows no signs of missing Michael Amott on guitars, one of the main driving forces behind the band’s music during the “Heartwork” and “Necroticism” era. The drumming responsibilities now fall under Daniel Wilding, a very experienced musician that really captures the style of Ken Owen.

Closing with the hellish solos of “Captive Bolt Pistol”, and the 8-minute long “Mount of Execution”, we can say that Carcass has delivered their best release to date. While their older and heavier times are behind them, on “Surgical Steel” they keep their melodic and catchiness alive and crate 11 excellent songs. With some vocals of Ken Owen here and there, Jeff Walker and Billy Steer have managed to improve on their band’s legacy and raised the bar even further for any future releases they might have. If you are a die-hard late Carcass fan, you will love this, same goes for any fan of Melodic Extreme Metal that is looking for some skilled and catchy songs.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: September 13th, 2013

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: UK