Customer Reviews

Swansong

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

if you take Swansong on it's own as an album...it's pretty great. the songs are razor sharp with hooks and melody. the production is perfect. their is alot of energy and passion captured and it's a killer musical ride. the 70's hard rock influence is heavy on this record, but it's still crunchy and a bit thrashy.
now...if you compare Swansong to Necroticism or Heartwork, then this album doesn't stand a chance. but listen with open ears and you'll find the Carcass spirit buried in these songs. this album took me many years to appreciate. give it a chance. keep on rotting...

This was the last effort of the magnificent English war machine otherwise known as Carcass. By the time of their demise they had already stepped up from the indie label Earache to the multinational Columbia. That move ultimately killed them but the turmoil that they endured helped them to make one of the best sounding records i have ever heard. The melodic leads and bile-filled lyrics makes you want to cataloge this as a mix between Old school Carcass, Classic 80's metal and the power trash acts (like Pantera). Have a go at it.

Swangong and heartwork are where carcass's sound changeg into which was grind to straight melodic death metal and i must admit being a fan of strictly grind ? Carcass is so talented that i even loved and cherish both swansong & heartwortk. A must've for fans of extreme music! Buy it!

Final opus from these grindcore grandfathers. Yes, the genre they helped to create has been but left behind. More of a straightforward rock approach. Some may compare the change similar to Megadeth's thrashing Rust in Peace to rock like Countdown to Extinction, or Metallica's move from And Justice for All to the slower paced Black Album. And yeah, I have to agree that there is a transformation here. But what the heck, all bands change right? And some cases for the better. In fact this seems more focused and to the point than the older medical mayhem. Not as melodic as previous Heartwork (plus no Geiger sculpture), but still crushing and corrosive. Guitar tone is huge here folks. Honestly the only drawback to the whole darn thing is the lyrics. Pessimistic about most aspects of life, but lines like "twinkle, twinkle black star" almost laughable at times. Music still heavy and groovy enough to ignore. This album is the one to attract new listiners that may have been afraid to visit the grossness of previous outings. Keep on rotting!

Ah, Carcass... Simply my favorite band throughout most of the Nineties. The history and discography of this band are peculiar, as far as death metal bands go. They started out poorly (listen to "Reek of Putrefaction,' which is crap, simply put), and slowly worked their way up to the coolest death metal band of the decade. Of course, that is just this humble reviewer's opinion; but Carcass fans like myself are rabid and wildly devoted (which is why I gave "Swansong" three stars).
What made them unique was the grim and morbid atmosphere they created on their albums; "Necroticism" being by far the creepiest with weird medical/autopsy soundbites. Steer and Walker's vocals were ghoulish-sounding, the album covers were ghastly collages of corpses... My brother, upon hearing this band for the first time, said they sounded "filthy." That combined with the most creative horror-metal lyrics I have ever heard made listening to this band the equivalent of watching a good QUALITY horror flick.
That being said, when "Heartwork" came out, I could see it coming. Gone were the creepy lyrics (somewhat), and gone were the gutteral (effects-aided) vocals of Bill Steer! Gasp! However, the music was so... perfect, "Heartwork" still remains one of my favorites.
"Swansong." Ugh. The lyrics on this mediocre album are no longer about making musical instruments or pieces of art with the deceased human body, but about political and religious injustice! Wow! Apparently the boys (sans Mike Amott from the previous two albums, with Carlos Redaga on Guitar 2)were taking songwriting tips from Metallica in their angry days. But from Carcass, these lyrics do not sound angry, just forced and lame.
Their songwriting structure, once completely unique and brutal, has degenerated into Intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus- bridge- etc. In other words, very usual and uninspired. The album is still very heavy (yes, at least they still tuned their instruments to B), and the songs aren't THAT BAD; but jeez, this album, despite a couple of bouncy-rocking heavy tunes, just left me as cold as a three-day old cadaver on a slab.
I cannot be too upset with the lads, though. They did give me "Symphonies," "Necroticism," and "Heartwork." And for those, I will always be grateful.

Alot of people either love or hate this lp. I gave
Heartwork a decent write up but this is pushing it for
me. Song writing is boring, the lyrics are terrible,
the guitar playing is cool and even the production is
cool but this is way too mid tempo for my tastes. The music
sounds more like Megadeth than Carcass... If you
want a decent 'new' Carcass cd skip this and get Heartwork.
If you like less polish and more emphasis on speed check out
Symphonies of Sickness.

Before Carcass's final album, the closest thing to death metal I listened to was Sepultura. I heard good things about this album from more mainstream rock and metal sources. One listen and I was converted! Although not a true death metal album, "Swansong" is a brilliant metal album that in my opinion stands next to "Heartwork" and "Necrotism." Compared to earlier material, the riffs are more concise and to the point, and the lyrics containing medical jargon describing the sensations of eating rotting flesh are replaced with sharp and biting social commentary, showing real maturity yet retaining its rebellious attitude. Jeff Walker is even able to get a little melody out of his snarling death metal rasp. Every song is good, but I have favorites: 'Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody' will put headbangers in a neckbrace with its whiplash inducing thrashing riffs. The brutal descending note riff in 'Black Star' works well with the groove of the song, and R**k the Vote is pretty catchy. 'Go to Hell' is the perfect closer, a musical and lyrical middle finger to the world. Many underground, extreme metal fans didn't like this album because it isn't grindcore or as extreme sounding as earlier albums, but I say approach "Swansong" with an open mind! It's still heavy, it's still Carcass and it lead to my expanding my musical tastes into death metal. It's just too bad Carcass are no longer together anymore.