Carcass is a popular metal band from England, credited as one of the pioneers of melodic death metal and grindcore. Their demo Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment and their full-length debut album, Reek of Putrefaction, showcased their distinct musical style – physically punishing playing and violent, gory, and repulsive lyrics.
By the time Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious was released in 1991, the band’s sound had evolved into an unruly and raw template for technical metal death. Their 1993 offering, Heartwork, has been hailed as one of the first melodic death metal recordings.
With their aesthetic and sonic evolution also came tension and conflict, and the band parted ways after releasing Swansong in 1996. They briefly reunited in 2007 for touring purposes. Carcass reformed again in 2012 and released Surgical Steel in 2013. The album’s thrash metal hooks and massive riffs won them a legion of new fans.
The band spent the next six years touring the globe regularly. In 2020, they released Despicable, their four-track EP. It was followed by the release of their full-length album Torn Arteries in 2021. Carcass was formed in Liverpool in 1985 by drummer Ken Owen and guitarist and vocalist Bill Steer.
Bassist and vocalist Jeff Walter later joined the band in 1987. The trio released Symphonies of Sickness and Reek of Putrefaction, full-lengths that are considered grindcore classics. The band became a quartet when Michael Amott joined them as second guitarist.
The quartet released Necroticism: Descanting the Salubrious and Tools of the Trade, two favorites of many metal underground fans. Heartwork is their 1993 debut album for Sony and was considered one of their best-known albums to date. After the release, Amott left the band and was replaced by Carlo Regadas.
After several lineup changes, Carcass opened for Slayer on select dates of their global farewell tour. The band re-entered the studio and released their digital track Under the Scalpel Blade. Torn Arteries, their first full-length album with guitarist Tom Draper was released in September 2021.
