Carcass. Not much else to be said really, is there? 9.5/10
Oh, OK then, if I absolutely must review the damn thing… Here we have the ridiculously overdue follow up to 2014’s Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel EP and the first taste of Torn Arteries, an album initially slated for August and now delayed until 2021 (thanks COVID!) Offering four tracks and eighteen minutes of new music, Despicable offers the previously-released Under The Scalpel Blade single and, in the manner of Surplus Steel, three offcuts from the forthcoming album which, unbelievably, didn’t make the final album.
Put simply, if these are offcuts, then Torn Arteries is going to be a monumental offering indeed. The EP opens with The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue, which (unwieldy title aside) takes the breathless listener through a variety of tempos and moods over the course of six-minutes. Opening with harmonised guitars and a sense of impending doom, we’re soon driven into a corner as a ravenous riff gets up close and personal, paving the way for Jeff Walker’s increasingly ravaged vocals to be ground out between gritted teeth. As brutal and as uncompromising as we’ve come to expect from Carcass, it’s simply brilliant and a reminder of the raw power that Carcass call their own. Proving that lightning can strike twice, The Long And Winding Bier Road is no less impressive. You want visceral riffs? Guttural vocals? Surprisingly melodic and deftly-played solos? This track has you covered, and if you’re not headbanging as the band lead you into a dynamic breakdown, then you need to return to your Celine Dion collection forthwith, because this is manna from metal-heaven. Carcass fans will already be familiar with the hulking menace of Under The Scalpel Blade, a churning riff-fest with a strong doom element and a central riff reminiscent of Procreation Of The Wicked. It’s awesome, albeit not quite as awesome as the preceding two tracks. The final piece, Slaughtered In Soho (memories of a night out?) kicks off with harmonised leads before suddenly plunging into a dark void filled with chugging guitars, Jeff’s increasingly savage vocals and… is that a cowbell echoing in the background? Maybe it’s the oppressive riffs getting to me, but it all sounds immense and only makes the wait for Torn Arteries all the more painful!
So, yes, 9.5 – you really didn’t need anything else after all, did you? It’s fucking Carcass, now buy it!
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