SHOULD CARCASS RECORD A NEW ALBUM?
Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 2:30pm by Axl Rosenberg
Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back and re-sleep with some of my ex-girlfriends. I’ve been fortunate in that some of them were really good in bed, and sometimes I just think, “Gosh, it would be nice to have one last night with so-and-so who did that thing I really liked.” Of course, the reality is, the sex would almost certainly be anti-climactic; it’s entirely possible you’re idealizing your past, but even if you’re not, things change, and the idea of once again getting head from the girl you thought gave the best blowjobs in the world when you were nineteen is probably way sexier than the actual head would be.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying that I don’t think a new Carcass album would be a very good idea.
I mention it because in the past month both Bill Steer and Jeff Walker have said that they’re open to the idea. And I understand why, at least in theory: their reunion tour has been, at least as far as I can tell, a staggering success, so the thought of popping another quarter in to give the mechanical pony one more ride must be almost too tempting to resist.
But here’s the thing: the album can’t be good. Even if it’s good, it can’t be good enough. With the passage of so much time and the elevation of the band’s catalog to sacred status, they would literally have to make the greatest death metal album of all time for it to live up to expectations. As my mansionmate Vince might put it, a new album could only tarnish this legendary band’s legacy.
Of course, right now a new Carcass album is just talk, and there is the possibility that the band would make a record good enough to not just seem like a nostalgic cash in (The same way it’s possible that the new, Layne Staley-less Alice in Chains album will actually be good.). And if the band did record a new album, I’d certainly wanna hear it. But why dick around and risk it? Let’s leave good enough alone. The reunion tour was killer. If they wanna try and do it again in another ten years, I’ll be first in line – but for now, let’s allow Carcass to be, y’know, a carcass.
I’m curious to see what my fellow Carcass fans think. Weigh in with your opinion below.
-AR
I think there’s a possibility this album could be very interesting, if not good. I think Michael Amott combined with Bill Steer would be a decent riff-fest, at least.
I say they should leave it. I don’t understand the obsession with musicians reuniting when they lost their taste for playing together years ago and have (for the most part) long since moved on. Who knows? It might be great. It might be a worthy successor to (insert your favorite Carcass record, mine is Heartwork). But really, I think they should stick to having fun kicking out the old, legendary jams, and enjoying what they’re doing with their new projects. When they wrote their best stuff, they were writing what was in their hearts, and it seems like now, they would just be trying to write “Carcass stuff” that tries to capture the feelings they no longer have.
I think if they were to make a new album it would sound like ‘Swansong’ , if that makes any sense. I guess we’ll all have to wait and see if they go through with it.
* ‘Swansong’ Plus (Corrected, I put a plus sign and it doesn’t show up)
It would be nice if they could just tour without having to release another album. They need to just leave the legacy where it is and move on. Carcass was and always will be great, but they really don’t have anything to prove anymore.
Why the fuck are they smiling?! There’s no smiling in death metal! What is this? Fuckin happy time fun land?
Unless they’re going to go all-out and produce a Heartwork beater then no.
No way. Just look at that disgraceful photo! Smiles? No anger? No forced tough-guy-ness? No sleeve tattooes? Check out real metal here:
http://www.metalsucks.net/2008/11/12/down-will-roll-on-with-new-album-is-this-a-good-thing/
Look at At the Gates.They did the tour and now that’s done with.You have to consider the legacy issue.Had ATG decided to do another album, even if it was great, it would still been seen as mediocre in a sense, considering all the bands now who sound like they did back in the day, when that sound wasn’t bastardized by a million shitty bands trying to cash in on imitation.
Sure, Carcass may have another good album in em, but why risk it.If it doesn’t hit the mark, you end up looking stupid and it becomes a sour note as the book end of the band’s career.
I hate this whole “don’t record an album because it will tarnish your legacy”. Load of crap. Cynic pulled it off with Traced in Air, and Carcass is the sort of band that would come back and blow away 99.9% of the melo death crap that gets released these days.
It made sense for cynic to record another album though seeing as they only had 1 previous release and there aren’t legions of scene kids replicating their sound. There is also still tons of room within their spazztastic prog/jazz/death/whatever for innovative music. Carcass has done everything that needs to be done within the confines of grind and whatever you want to call their later work. Although, take my opinion with a grain of salt since I seem to be in minority in thinking that Heartwork is the single most overrated cd in existence.
Bad idea. Why? For the same reason no one like Swangsong or the Blackstar project. People just want Heartwork part 2 and they already had that with Arch Enemy. Besides, didn’t Bill Steer once refer to the Carcass years as 10 wasted years?
Why not? I think that even a terrible Carcass album would still be better than 80% of what’s been coming out nowadays. But then again I like absolutely everything they ever did all the way from Reek to Swansong. Seeing them on that reunion tour makes me think it could work out great. Time will tell.
yes yes and yes
Reckon Amott’s pushing for it bigtime-as for the rest of the band I doubt it. The main reason Jeff & Bill did it was, for Ken Owen.
Personally in these situations I like to remember how Celtic Frost came together so many years after their dissolution and released Monotheist which is just phenomenal. Why? It didn’t try to replicate their old sound one bit, they conquered new waters instead of trying to replicate their youthful selves or give what their fans expected.
I think Carcass could do it if only because the last three albums they did all sounded very different. That’s the keyword though: different. However there shouldn’t be a follow-up tour. Let’s keep the reunion tour special.
Celtic Frost ended their original career on a rather sour note. Same with Carcass.
Celtic Frost came back and made one of the best albums of the decade. I could only hope Carcass would have the balls to try the same.
Hey Axl, it’s 2008, there are plugins for polls, you know. But I suppose you like it when we get all obnoxious and wordy with our responses, so here you go.
ATG’s tour has already been mentioned. That was epic and so responsible in terms of legacy: it gave the fans what they wanted, which is to hear classics like “Blinded By Fear” and “Slaughter Of The Soul” performed live. And the band nailed their shows, too, gave really spot-on performances. Putting out a CD in addition to this would have only tarnished their rep, whereas now it’s like yet another visitation by the Holy Spirit, and then poof, it’s gone again.
Am I in trouble for using that analogy in a metal context?
At the same time, I was waiting with bated breath to hear In Flames’s A Sense Of Purpose. I knew in my head it was going to suck balls but in my heart I wanted it to be another Jester Race. Wanted it so bad I almost believed that it would be! So a big part of the joy of being a fan of music is this foreplay tingle of anticipation before the ejaculation of release day.
Alright, I’m stopping with that analogy, I promise.
I have mixed feelings about this. I would love to hear a new Carcass album, but at the same time I would be totally afraid of being disappointed. Not so much disappointed with the music, but the band.
I liked Swansong. I had some great hooks and rhythms in it that Heartwork didn’t. Yet Heartwork had such a ferocity to it that I doubt if they could match again. So Swansong was a good end to the Carcass era and Heartwork was a good end to the Amott Carcass era. I think it would probably be a good record, but seeing that when they were at their peak, they were still a unique band and these days there are so many others that try to emulate them that a new record might fall short.
DBR has a great point about Monothiest. Maybe a new Carcass album might sound nothing like Heartwork, but in a divine way that sets them apart from the thousands of death-metal-nu-core bands out there right now. Then again it could flop like so many others do.
I suppose my question to all of you that think it’s a good idea is: what metal band, aside from Cynic and Celtic Frost, have come back after more than a decade or more with an album that stands up perfectly alongside their “golden age” material? Though “Traced in Air” proved that a band CAN come back after a lengthy absence and make a record that equals if not surpasses their classic album(s), I agree with Mr. Rosenberg: truly worthwhile comeback albums seem to be the exception more than the rule. I personally have no problem with Carcass touring until Jeff Walker turns to dust, as touring doesn’t necessarily “tarnish one’s legacy”; hell, look at Emperor. But reunion albums tend to fall somewhere between unnecessary and embarrassing. However, examples would prove me wrong. Very wrong.
I don’t care if Carcass release a new album or not. Personally, I don’t think they can top the Necroticism days, and they’ve been known to lack consistency when it comes to their discography. From grindcore to death metal to melodeath to “death n roll” within their 10 decade career, they were rather important. However, I think that the band had a good run and should leave it at that. Then again, you never know what a comeback album could turn out to be.
Exodus
Good to see so many people mentioning how awesome Traced In Air is. Because it really is.
That being said, I don’t know about this…if they get back together and release an album in the vein of Swansong, then i’ll be happy as a clam. If Amott’s in the mix and some Arch Enemy sips in, we’re fucked.
Pfft worse that happens is the album isn’t as good as the older stuff, i can’t imagine it being terrible. So they make a new album and it’s a disappointment, it’s still one more Carcass album than we already had and if you don’t like it then don’t listen to it.
You guys know about Carcass? Awww, someone learned how to Google! Congrats.
Who else besides Cynic and Celtic Frost? I’ll tell you who, Mr. Sammy O’Hagar. Only the greatest fucking bands in the world!!! Kiss and soon enough GUNS N MUTHAFUCKIN ROSES, BAAABYYY!!! WOOOO!!!
yes….I’m kidding
Only thing I want to know is, why the fuck did the reunion tour skip Phoenix? It went from L.A to Vegas and then to Austin,TX. what the fuck?Exodus and Warbringer schedule also has L.A to Vegas then on to Farmington,N.M.???? then Austin,TX. I think somebody (I don’t know who) needs to explain this shit. I was not about to jump in my car and pay $4 a gallon of gas to hit either L.A. or Vegas
If they do a new album I think it will be to support Ken which is a noble cause. A lot of the greats such as Testament, Exodus, Overkill, Kreator (to many to name)have won over lot’s of new fans and created quite a stir with me with their latest releases because them guys all had that “fire” again.
hey just look at Kreator… they sucked shit on a ton of their 90’s album and then Enemy of God kicked ass for a 25 year old band. I’m not trying to compare them to Kreator, but Carcass, being the great musicians they are have definitely got potential to write some sick material. I don’t think time matters at all, no one would have complained if they made a new album in 97 why does it matter now?
oh well, why not????????????
let them do it… it won´t hurt. if you don´t like the new album, just don´t listen to it again. what if it´s just killer? who knows what this guys could do??
OF COURSE THEY SHOULD DO IT.
ROT!
We NEED a new Carcass Album, that’s the truth. I liked almost everything they released. Even Swansong was a good album (maybe not a good Carcass album, but who cares?).
They seem to consider Heartwork as their starting point for a possible new release, let’s give’em a chance to release a masterpiece part 2. And if they’ll record just a new Carcas album… that’s fine too! They’ve got personality and talent, they deserve to prove they’re not a nostalgia act.