Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silence has a definition, vocabulary of muted diction., September 7, 2003
I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a death metal fan. While I do appreciate the genius of a few groups like Death, Opeth, and the long defunct Cynic; I feel most death metal is over saturated with so-called musicians who sacrifice musicianship and imagination just so they can show the world how "extreme" they are. And what they end up doing is sounding like every other band. The underground is full of copycats and trend followers just like the mainstream is. But every now and then a diamond will arise from coal (or at least a bunch of black rocks that look coal). The diamond in the coal pile here being Carcass' Heartwork.A lot of people like to call Heartwork Carcass' sellout album. For the sake of argument, let's say they're right. Back in 1993, Carcass signed on to Columbia with fellow Earache stalwarts Napalm Death and Entombed. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to understand that a few compromises were necessary in order to bring their music to a broader audience. So some of the group's more blatant characteristics like their graphic lyrical content went out the window. Add to that, the band was now playing songs of accessable length ranging from 3 to 5 minutes instead of the brief blasts of noise that they were (in)famous for early in their career. What could have came out as an over-produced mess actually turned out to be a sonic juggernaut that easily ranks up there with anything 1980s Metallica and Iron Maiden put out. Although frustration with the music industry would prove to be Carcass' undoing (and not to mention the reason guitarist Bill Steer nearly quit music for good), "selling out" turned them into a way, way better band if only for a short time. Heartwork is an incredible wall of aggression and melody from beginning to end with neither element cancelling out the other. Even though there are no clean vocals, no acoustic interludes, and no lame attempts at a ballad; none of the songs sound alike. Bill Steer and future Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott prove to be a duo as great as Tipton/Downing or Smith/Murray. Don't let Ken Owen's short hair fool you. He threw down some nasty blast beats. And bassist/ vocalist Jeff Walker is one of the few death metal vocalists I can listen to. He actually sounds distinctive. So many Death growlers have to either do the unoriginal cookie monster growl or scream like Power Ranger villain Rita Repulsa (yes, Cradle of Filth, I'm talking about you). Walker has a demonic, insectile voice that fits perfectly. Like I said earlier, Heartwork isn't just a great album from a band that the average music critic thinks is incapable of producing great albums; it's one of the greatest metal albums ever. I recently read an interview featuring Walker in which he states that Carcass will more than likely never reform. And even more saddening was news of Owen's health problems - from which I wish him to get well. Still, Heartwork is something Amott, Owen, Steer, and Walker should be very proud of.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of death metal's greatest technical statements, November 6, 2002
If Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Chopin were to get together and record a death metal album, I think it would sound something like "Heartwork." To be sure, "Heartwork" bears many of the marks of a death metal album: it's heavy, it's aggressive, it's typically pretty fast, and the vocals are harsh. However, this album goes down a lot easier than the typical extreme metal album, thanks to Carcass's top-shelf musicianship and doses of rhythm and melody. Probably what I like most about "Heartwork" is that the music is techncial and the arrangments are complicated, but at the same time it manages to be pretty catchy, with plenty of memorable songs. "Carnal Forge" and the title track blaze along at about mach 3, while "No Love Lost" and "Embodiment" grind it out with slower tempos. My favorite here, though, would have to be the heavy and complex "Doctrinal Expletives," which winds its way through multiple tempos and features some inspired guitar work. Jeff Walker's vocals, in contrast to the guttural grunts used by the typical death vocalist (not that grunting is all bad), are a black-metalish rasp that flows very well with the music. It's really guitarists Bill Steer and Michael Ammott that make this album, though. They contribute plenty of catchy riffs and harmonies, and the solos are far more melodic than the typical death metal fare. I saw this album described once as Obituary meets Iron Maiden, and I think that's a pretty apt description. If you want to hear something that's extreme but still accessible, look no further. And be sure to check out Mike Ammott's current band Arch Enemy, who rule as well.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Heavy Metal Classic, February 15, 2005
The quintessential melodic death metal album, _Heartwork_ is simply one of the most popular and important metal releases in all of the 1990's. If ever there was a metal album which should be included on top 10 lists, _Heartwork_ would be it. On this album, Carcass effortlessly marries the perfect amounts of heaviness, technicality, melody, and catchiness - all the ingredients which make for high-quality heavy metal sound.
Hailing from England, Carcass is a band that incorporates more than just heaviness into their music. They have enough technical capability, originality, and songwriting skills to dazzle and amaze just as easily as they can cave the listener's skull in. Each of Carcass' members is highly talented at their subjective musical contributions. Guitarists Bill Steer and Michael Amott (the latter well-known for his later work in Arch Enemy) are a tight duo, shredding at their instruments with stunning speed and brutality; all at once, however they create flowing, often beautiful, melodies - perhaps the most significant quality of Carcass' sound. Jeff Walker's bass rhythms, while not particularly prominent, are nonetheless integral to Carcass' sound (one of his shining moments is on the title track, during the post-intro melody). Jeff is also the group's vocalist; generally belting out an alto-range growl, his voice is quite harsh, adding new dimensions of ferocity to the music. And drummer Ken Owen is nothing short of amazing as he thunders out some of the most intricate and captivating percussions that metal could ask for.
Having already established themselves as pioneers of the grindcore genre with their previous three albums (1988's _Reek of Putrefaction_, 1989's _Symphonies of Sickness_, and 1991's _Necrotism: Descanting the Insalubrious_), Carcass took a bit of a departure from their usual style with 1994's _Heartwork_. The songs are every bit as intense and crushing as before, but with much more emphasis on melody. Take, for instance, "This Mortal Coil," with its propulsive drum beats, brutal riffs, and galloping tempo; the song only lessens its brutality in the breakdown, where it slows to a mid-tempo rhythm as Michael's and Bill's leads slice in with fluid precision. "Doctrinal Expletives" starts with a devastating metal salvo, which quickly breaks into a catchy lockstep rhythm and brilliant leads scattered throughout. "Blind Bleeding the Blind" has some great vocal work, namely when Jeff makes a chilling snarl in the first verse. Opening track "Buried Dreams" sports some great double-bass drum beats and a repeatedly changing series of melodic guitar riffs. The drumming on all the songs is a particular treat when listened to on headphones, well-emphasized by the excellent production (kudos to Colin Richardson); it's easy to hear the various cymbals and hi-hats crash all around the listener's head, the double-bass pedals thundering from below, and seemingly from within come the blasts of the snare and toms. All in all, every song on _Heartwork_ leaves the listener's mind in the clouds...and their body in ruins.
Each song is greatly deserving of high praise; indeed, that is why this album is such a good album as a whole. Even those who are not so fond of death metal vocals would (and so often do) hold this album in high respect. _Heartwork_ is heavy metal in its finest form, and now, over ten years after its release, it is still, without a doubt, a heavy metal classic.
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