CARCASS – Despicable – EP Review

MP3:
Carcass
Price:
£1.79

Reviewed by:
Rating:
5
On 5 November 2020
Last modified:5 November 2020

Summary:

Despicable is a bellicose march of death, the drums pound harder than a cement drill to the skull, with brutal lyrics and venomous explosions of blistering riffs and melding solos!

CARCASS – Despicable EP was released on Oct 30 2020. The 4-track collection is made up of songs not featured on the band’s upcoming 2021 full-length album.

After seven years, the pioneers of black death metal, Carcass,  return with their Despicable EP.  Ingeniously baiting their loyal fans. You could call the EP their intermission, until the much-anticipated release of their  7th Studio album set for release 2021.

It has been seven years since the band released the frenetic Surgical Steel.  This saw the band’s first record release after a 17-year hiatus. Lucky 7’s seem to be the formula here.

 

On your marks get set, circle-pit!!

 

The Living Dead at The Manchester Morgue gets a classic styling from Carcass. A macabre death metal dance. Filled with menacing riffs, it’s like a warped Eye of The Tiger. Packing a punch, as it piles on the velocity, you can feel the rigour on your fingers.  Vocalist/guitarist Jeff Walker snares like a rabid dog with plenty of bites and the whole experience just makes your ears melt in the happiness of a new song!

If you want to introduce someone to Carcass, lure them in with The Long & Winding Bier RoadDoes the main chugging riff remind me of Therapy? Die Happy, it does in part. The anthemic, poppy vibrancy bodes well, as you take a breather from the circle-pit.  You can appreciate the collaboration of Bill Steer and Jeffs, guitar prowess.  Just like taking a stroll through a scare park, watch out for the venomous explosions of blistering riffs and melding solos.

 

Firstly what a terrific name for a track Under The Scalpel Blade. Has someone been to Hollywood for a nip-tuck?! The guitars rev like opposing engines and you get the eerie feeling there’s trouble ahead. A mashup of black noise that Carcass is revered for. I haven’t got a clue what’s actually been sung but I’m thinking it’s not about having a nice day out.  As the song slows into a sludgy pace the whole thing gears up again with a classic thrash metal middle section and the bowels of hell are probably the destination.

 

Last orders at the bar, the final submission on this EP is Slaughtered in Soho.  Played like a bellicose march of death, the drums pound harder than a cement drill to the skull as the lyrics deliver the brutal chorus of ‘slaughtered’.  I can’t decide if the song is about the notorious Jack the Ripper or a night fuelled on booze and suffering an impinging hangover the next day.  Either way, it’s pretty intense and leaves your innards hanging.

 

 

 

Carcass

Bill Steer(lead guitar, vocals)
Daniel Wilding(drums)
Tom Draper(guitar)

Carcass

Tracklisting

1 – The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue
2 – The Long And Winding Bier Road
3 – Under The Scalpel Blade
4 – Slaughtered In Soho

 

Useful links

Purchase your copy of “Despicable” EP in the format of your choice here: http://www.nuclearblast.com/carcass-despicable
Listen to the EP on all streaming platforms: https://nblast.de/CarcassDespicable

The lords of death and grind’s new EP “Despicable” offers fans a taste of the brutality that awaits on the band’s heavily anticipated 7th studio album coming in 2021.

Despicable is a bellicose march of death, the drums pound harder than a cement drill to the skull, with brutal lyrics and venomous explosions of blistering riffs and melding solos!

About Alex English