Customer Reviews

Wake Up & Smell the Carcass

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is Carcass' last album. Is not a studio one. It's a compilation. Not a "best of...", just a mixture of leftovers, b-sides and rare stuff from all Carcass periods. TRACKS: 1-5.unrealeased from "Swansong" sessions, only available here; 6-9.Radio 1 Rock sessions, live, only here; 10&11.also available on "Heartwork ep";12-14.also available on "Tools of the trade"ep; 15&16.taken from Earache's "PATHOLOGICAL" compilation;17.taken from the "GRINDCRUSHER" compilation, rare version. The uncensored cover shows Kennedy`s smashed head after he was shot. Carcass' label, Earache, did this compilation after they disbanded; Earache did the same when Entombed left the label, a compilation of rare stuff. Anyway, you`ll find a cool booklet, with lots of photos and history of the band. If you want to listen or buy any Carcass studio material, get "Heartwork" or "Necroticism-Descanting the insalubrious", or if you want a compilation you have the "Best Of" japanese double CD($48!); "Wake up..." is only for those fans who want to have everything.

For those familiar with the work of Carcass, this is an excellent collection of unreleased and compilation tracks on one blistering cd. This will literally peel the skin right off of your face. It opens with 5 unreleased songs from the Swansong sessions, and they're soooooo heavy. If you liked that cd, then you're gonna love this, as the unreleased tunes are amazing. Next up is 4 songs from the Radio 1 Rock Show sessions. These are Heartwork-era songs and are just wicked. No Love Lost and Edge Of Darkness are standouts, but all 4 are deadly. Next up, 2 songs from the Heartwork ep, and again, are smokin'. Next, 3 songs from the Tools Of The Trade ep. Wicked riffing from some of their pre-Heartwork era, which bring us to the next 2 songs from the cd, taken from the Pathological compilation, more of the developmental early stuff from their grindcore beginnings, like the last song on the cd, from the Grindcrusher comp., more grind beginnings from these medical dictionary reading, Discharge listening lads from across the pond. Buy and play debilitatingly loud, you won't be dissapointed.

This is an amazing journey backwards into the career of the most challenging extreme rock group of all time: CARCASS. This collection of unreleased rarities & ep material will show the listener how this band managed to mutate with each release (5 lp's), challenging their listeners instead of allowing them to become comfortable with the status quo they created. Wake up! Also, checkout the DVD companion as it includes 2 live sets and the official videos (5).

A post-breakup collection of EP and unreleased material. Starts with some surprisingly good tracks from the Swansong sessions, amazingly solid tunes considering they're outtakes. Then some good live tracks from the Heartwork era. Then closing out with the bloody, ugly early grind of old EP tracks. A good review of this great band.

This is a weird release because Carcass's style changed SO MUCH over the life of the band and this "compilation" doesn't really try to ease you through it at all.

It starts with several tracks from the Swansong sessions. These are pretty much straight on metal, not grind or death metal at all. Sort of thrash, I guess, with growled vocals. It does include the excellent (and funny) "I Told You So (Corporate Rock Really Does Suck)," which may be reason enough to get the CD right there. If you're a fan of the Swansong era, these tracks are all worthwhile.

Then we move backward in time to "Necrotism" era death/grind and all the way back to full on grindcore. The effect is somewhat disjointed to say the least.

Not sure what this is really trying to be other than another release to get hard-core fans' money. The tracks are all good, however, and it's worth picking up if you have "Heartwork" and "Necrotism."

This compilation of rare and unreleased Carcass tracks is definitely worth the purchase if you are a fan of the band. The disc begins with 5 songs from the Swansong era, of which 'Emotional Flatline' is the standout song. The others are OK, but nondescript.

Then there are 4 BBC Radio One session songs. Of these 4, the version of 'Buried Dreams' and 'Rot 'N' Roll' stand out. These 4 BBC tracks are followed by the excellent 'This is Your Life' from the Heartwork album and one of my personal favorite Carcass tunes, 'Rot 'N' Roll'. 'Rot 'N' Roll' has fast, excellent riffs, good drumming, is catchy, and contains some of Jeff Walker's tightest vocals. Love that song; C'mon, Rrrrot!!!!!

After this, the music gets older, including 3 tracks from the Necroticism period. Of these, 'Pyosisified' [try saying that 3 times fast] and 'Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II' are worth mention.

Then we continue back to the late-80's grindcore era. Not my favorite period of Carcass' brief career, but the instrumental 'Genital Grinder II', with its distorted riffs, is a good song. There is also a noisy, poorly produced version of 'Exhume to Consume' which should please the band's original fans that consider everything after "Symphonies of Sickness" to be a sell-out.

Overall, an interesting retrospective (in reverse chronological order) of Carcass' rarer material. Highly recommended.

The DVD, which contains a couple of raw, bootleg-esque concert videos, as well as the band's 5 official music videos, is a nice bonus. The official music video for 'Corporal Jigsore Quandary' is very well done.

If you like Carcass, then this is a great compilation of their tracks that didn't make it onto albums. There are also a few tracks that were on EP's, and alternate versions of a few songs. If your a Carcass fan then this is a great disc. If your new to Carcass, check out Heartwork :)

Forget those fools who dont rate this album - these b sides and rare tracks are A standard. The first five tracks are awesome showing a mature and developed band with a sense of humour, but dont think you cannot take these tunes seriously - if you are into metal it doesnt get any better. Then the cd regresses through past glory taking you to where the band came from. The world is not the same without Carcass - the coolest heavy band to grace our bleeding ears - BRUTAL!

Carcass has always been a band that I regard as one of the most talented to come out of the underground, but with this compilation of rarities and b sides and whatever else was thrown together was a disappointment. I don't want to be a judge here with carcass but I would rather recommend "heartwork" and "swansong" instead of this one, it just seemed like a slap in the face that such a great and overly talented band would put this out as a good bye to all the carcass fans. I would like to see this band get back together and put out the most destrucive album as a payback for all the criticizm especially from a fan like me. This album is for the die hard fan who wants something for the carcass collection. Surely not their best album, but it does have some good points here and there but overall, put your money to good use with heartwork or swansong.

excellent album. thanx to this i am able to be appreciative of amazon.com's variety of choices that customers are able to make. this is the only carcass i have and i don't know if it's this good compared to others but it is amazing compared to other stuff in my cd collection