Swansong (CD/DVD) - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The appropriately titled Swansong was the last album Carcass recorded before their untimely demise. Booted from Columbia Records and unable to get along, the band packed it in last year, ironically after recording the most commercially viable disc of their career. Swansong is a fist-pumping crunch-fest that combines lacerated death metal vocals with mainstream rhythms reminiscent of vintage Megadeth and Iron Maiden. From the witty "Keep On Rotting in the Free World" to the atmospheric "Child's Play," Carcass have crafted one of the strongest bridges to connect underground metal to the mainland. Too bad they won't be around to see anyone cross it. --Jon Wiederhorn

Album Details
Japanese Release featuring a Bonus Track.

Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Carcass Does Shine on this Mainstream Masterpiece October 8, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

While those who claim they are "true" metal supporters write off Carcass after Symphonies of Sickness and ROP, the latter era Carcass albums had just as much of a dynamic effect on the grind/metal genre to deserve just as much respect as those classic discs.

Let us remember the times here my friends, Swansong was a 90's release just like Heartwork, etc...however as the 90's progressed through, the metal world was changed and rearranged by waves of newcomers. Grunge seemingly knocked metal out of the spotlight (well, hair metal anyways), the gothenburg scene was starting to pick up speed with acts like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity gaining mass acclaim, and the evolution of more symphonic and classically charged metal such as progressive giant Dream Theater and death/progressive/jazz fuser Opeth were all coming full circle. What did an innovator like Carcass do? No, they didn't meddle in the studio for days to try and come up with another new subgenre of metal, and they didn't just call it quits...till after this disc. Instead, they sat down and wrote a very mainstream, however very CLASSIC metal album that also contains the unique qualities that make Carcass the band they are.

Its plain to see the changes on Swansong, with more virtuosic riffing and fewer and fewer lyrics that require a masters degree to understand. After losing guitar god Christopher Ammott who later went on to form Arch Enemy, Carcass instead of tweeking their sound to be more vocalized and/or less musically intense, rather did the oppostite and focused a lot on smooth melody-writing and lyrics that focused on many parts of society as a whole. The trademark "crunchiness" can still be heard on a lot of the tracks, but its neither as dark nor destructive-sounding as their former work. The production is very well done, no complaints here, although many die harders were rather turned off by the lack of fuzzy or darker production qualities.

The songs are for the most part all very good. I find it hard to skip songs on this album, and really never would...had songs like Childs Play, Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody and Room 101 not been so good. The latter half of the album doesn't slow up at all, though some would say that many of the breakdowns midsong sound hauntingly similar, a quality that in most cases would bring down many albums. This quality is not very noticeable however, so no harm is done.

The bottom line is that this was the end of the road for a spectacular group of metal legends. If heavy metal had a hall of fame, these guys would have to make it in on the first ballot because of their innovations in the early part of their career, to their dramatic communial tribute to legends of the past in their latter efforts. They also would get an automatic bid into a metal Hall of Fame because their members still continue to inspire and create new music. Bands like Arch Enemy and Napalm Death spawned from this act, and newer, even darker grindcore acts like Aborted are already covering Carcass tracks like its been in style for years. Like it or not, Carcass' Swansong has lasting quality, and is in fact a fitting swansong for a group that built grindcore from the ground up.

4 out of 5 stars

The wonders of being in a Bloodsucking label May 19, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This was the last effort of the magnificent English war machine otherwise known as Carcass. By the time of their demise they had already stepped up from the indie label Earache to the multinational Columbia. That move ultimately killed them but the turmoil that they endured helped them to make one of the best sounding records i have ever heard. The melodic leads and bile-filled lyrics makes you want to cataloge this as a mix between Old school Carcass, Classic 80's metal and the power trash acts (like Pantera). Have a go at it.

2 out of 5 stars

Please no more February 1, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I can't believe they kept the same name. This sounds like Dokken with a typical black metal vocalist. Since "Tools of the Trade" they have fallen from grace a little more with each album. Thankfully they finaly hit bottom. Farewell.

4 out of 5 stars

Carcass does it again... January 9, 1999
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Heartwork is their best album to date, but Swansong is also excellent. Swansong is a bit different compared to Heartwork due to cleaner growls and more understandable lyrics.

If you like Carcass a lot then you should add this one to your collection.

1 out of 5 stars This ain't CARCASS!! February 19, 1999
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This by far is the worst album carcass has ever done. Boring riffs and boring everything. If you are looking for an album that puts you to sleep right away, or forever as a matter of fact, this is the album for you. Heartwork blows this album away by a loooooong shot. I cannot stand one song on this album. This was no album to leave their fans with, I feel so cheated. If you want good metal, check out Micheal Amott's new band Arch Enemy, they bring back memories of the old Carcass. This album REEKS OF PUTREFACTION.

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