Swansong

Carcass | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 4, 1996)
• Original Release Date: May 30, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earache Records
• ASIN: B00000584X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,849 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Keep on Rotting in the Free World

2. Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody

3. Black Star

4. Cross My Heart

5. Child's Play

6. Room 101

7. Polarized

8. Generation Hexed

9. Firm Hand

10. R**k the Vote

11. Don't Believe a Word

12. Go to Hell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carcass Does Shine on this Mainstream Masterpiece, October 8, 2004

By 

Mark Horvath (Inside a Hallowed Mind, Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swansong (Audio CD)

While those who claim they are "true" metal supporters write off Carcass after Symphonies of Sickness and ROP, the latter era Carcass albums had just as much of a dynamic effect on the grind/metal genre to deserve just as much respect as those classic discs.

Let us remember the times here my friends, Swansong was a 90's release just like Heartwork, etc...however as the 90's progressed through, the metal world was changed and rearranged by waves of newcomers. Grunge seemingly knocked metal out of the spotlight (well, hair metal anyways), the gothenburg scene was starting to pick up speed with acts like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity gaining mass acclaim, and the evolution of more symphonic and classically charged metal such as progressive giant Dream Theater and death/progressive/jazz fuser Opeth were all coming full circle. What did an innovator like Carcass do? No, they didn't meddle in the studio for days to try and come up with another new subgenre of metal, and they didn't just call it quits...till after this disc. Instead, they sat down and wrote a very mainstream, however very CLASSIC metal album that also contains the unique qualities that make Carcass the band they are.

Its plain to see the changes on Swansong, with more virtuosic riffing and fewer and fewer lyrics that require a masters degree to understand. After losing guitar god Christopher Ammott who later went on to form Arch Enemy, Carcass instead of tweeking their sound to be more vocalized and/or less musically intense, rather did the oppostite and focused a lot on smooth melody-writing and lyrics that focused on many parts of society as a whole. The trademark "crunchiness" can still be heard on a lot of the tracks, but its neither as dark nor destructive-sounding as their former work. The production is very well done, no complaints here, although many die harders were rather turned off by the lack of fuzzy or darker production qualities.

The songs are for the most part all very good. I find it hard to skip songs on this album, and really never would...had songs like Childs Play, Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody and Room 101 not been so good. The latter half of the album doesn't slow up at all, though some would say that many of the breakdowns midsong sound hauntingly similar, a quality that in most cases would bring down many albums. This quality is not very noticeable however, so no harm is done.

The bottom line is that this was the end of the road for a spectacular group of metal legends. If heavy metal had a hall of fame, these guys would have to make it in on the first ballot because of their innovations in the early part of their career, to their dramatic communial tribute to legends of the past in their latter efforts. They also would get an automatic bid into a metal Hall of Fame because their members still continue to inspire and create new music. Bands like Arch Enemy and Napalm Death spawned from this act, and newer, even darker grindcore acts like Aborted are already covering Carcass tracks like its been in style for years. Like it or not, Carcass' Swansong has lasting quality, and is in fact a fitting swansong for a group that built grindcore from the ground up.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone hates this album except me..., October 13, 2008

By 

Jason P. Jancetic - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swansong (CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

For those who love Carcass, when you speak the words "Swansong", most will shutter and pretend the album never existed. I still don't understand why. Because there are no fast parts or blast beats? So what... Let's look at what else is still there... Heavy guitar tone; check. Growling vocals; check. Incredible recording production; check. Slick guitar leads; check. Downtuned guitars; check...

So, the majority hate this album because Carcass replaced blast beats with a forward driving rhythm feel? It's absurd to me. It's not like the guys in Carcass pulled a Metallica and completely changed EVERYTHING fans loved about them and tried to appeal the masses. Wait, don't stop me and say "yes they did, this was their attempt to appeal to a major label audience..." Do those vocals sound "appealing" to a mass audience to you?

Oh, and let's forget about the fact that Swansong has one of the most incredible heavy guitar tones ever produced. Yeah, let's somehow overlook that...

This is what I hate about most "alternative" genres of music, including metal, hardcore, punk, etc... Eventually, its fans can somehow become the very antithesis of what their beloved genres are supposed to be about... thinking outside the box, and being bold enough to try something new. Nope nope, we don't want that at all. We want more of exactly the same from our heroes and artists.

Give me a break. Swansong is a bold and creative statement that works well in its own right, and I love Carcass that much more as a whole for giving it to me. And I'll take it and run with it, because apparently I'm the only one who thinks so.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars swansong rules, January 30, 2006

By 

billy joe (Boone, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swansong (Audio CD)

It's not Reek or Symphonies or Necrotism or Heartwork. It's Swansong! And it's not grind or death or melodic death. It's M-E-T-A-L. Dig? Sick riffs, great singing, and awesome production. If songs like Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody, Cross My Heart, Don't Believe a Word, and Black Star don't rock your world, then your world doesn't rock. End of story.