Far from the Doom Metal genre, Carcass hails from the United Kingdom implementing the first solid steps of Death Metal. Despite 25 years since their foundation have passed, the band counts with only 5 studio albums, being Swansong their final work to date, released back in 1996.
The lack of content it's mostly justified due to Carcass being left as a side project and the long hiatus that took place between 1996 - 2006.
A legendary band that left few albums, but all of them enriched with quality music and distinct sound.
So in late 1993 Heartwork is born, considered by most fans and myself, the best album of the band.
Released trought Earache Records, this fine piece of art unveils blistering guitars, fast paced drums and sharp voices, all in all the best thing about this record is the fierce power within the guitars distortion.
Introducing some of the very first melodic death metal guitar leads here and there, Carcass walks towards a more defined sound than the one developed in the earlier albums, but maintaining the raw and oldschool roots for it is known, fans of associated acts like Arch Enemy or Napalm Death will notice a difference whilst listening to Heartwork.
Hasty and violent tracks make the whole experience smooth and sudden, it is hard to realize the album is done playing with 10 tracks so quickly, it carries it's songs merged into one, like a wild journey through a harsh storm.
The album as a whole is worth a listen, especially track 1 "Buried Dreams", track 3 "No Love Lost" and track 6 "This Mortal Coil" - my personal favourite - deserve a place in a large metal-filled discotheque.
For the past years Cradle of Filth have been criticized for every step they make, with people often citing the band's new found sound as a basis for pure hatred filled bash. Please don't think I'm a fan boy, I still think everything post "Midian" is subpar when compared to their early efforts, but still there's no need to beat a dead horse, at least they had the guts to evolve their sound!
Enough talking, this is a small review of Cradle's new song "Frost on Her Pillow", from the album Manticore, due to be released later this month. The song starts very strong, it's intro takes the listener to a place where Cradle haven't been since "Her Ghost in the Fog", but still adding a modern twist to the whole thing. The only negative thing is the length, it should have been a little longer. The first real "storytelling" riff comes after this brief intro and still sounds very fresh to these ears. I ear a little from "Cruelty", another from "Midian" and a final touch of something new. The riff repeats a lot with slight variations, mostly on the drums, but, take my word, it will grow on you with each listen.
The little "breakdown", with some laughs by a female, some melodies and the start of the solo, sounds simply amazing. I just wish they had put some more vocalizations and twenty more seconds. The aforementioned solo continues with support from a riff straight out of "Godspeed of the Devil's Thunder", showing the true potential of their recent material when mated with "old school" melodies and tones. The only riff that feels unsupported comes after the solo. The keyboards are too low, it lack's melody and Dani's voice isn't what it used to be.
"Frost..." finishes with the first riff a lot more action, contrasting with the below average arrangements on that little part after the solo. In summary, I find the song simple, effective, with good enough lyrics and strong melodies, something lacking on Cradle's repertoire on the last two albums at least (minus the lyrics). It's the best song I've heard from the new album, really showing what the band meant with a return to the "old style" with a modern twist. It gets a 4/5 on my book.
