Carcass
Symphonies of Sickness
[Earache]
Everyone's favorite Carcass album is either Symphonies of Sickness or
Heartwork
(except for me, sort of). It's easy to see why people like Heartwork. It's
melodic,
dramatic, and clearly/naturally structured, therefore memorable.
Actually, the same goes for Symphonies. It is grindcore, but it's just as much death metal. The songs always flow the way one thinks they should - pleasant surprises, but no shocks, contrived or otherwise. Also, there aren't any Napalm Death-type ten second noise bursts/songs.
The whole album generally moves along at a very organic tempo, with periodic bursts of blasting speed. The album is chock-full of very memorable riffs that are melodic, in the sense that they rely mostly on pitch movement, even if they aren't in any key.
In fact, the album is incredibly organic in general. There's a certain looseness, a degree of controlled sloppiness, in the playing that really makes it breathe. Sometimes the guitars and drums participate in a give-and-take kind of interplay, and sometimes, especially during the blast sections, they seem to fight each other for control. Or in some blast sections, they just seem to fight violently with no intended target, like in the intro to Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites and the fast half of Ruptured in Purulence. The chaotic, splattery multiple vocal parts just make these sections better.
The album has its share of abrupt riff/feel changes. They always jump into these with some unevenness, but Carcass makes it sound good, whereas I've heard lots of bands just sound awkward or clumsy.
At the same time, the album has melodic riffs (compare the intro of Slash Dementia to that of Heartwork, BTW), good solos, and groove. Almost every song has riffs that really groove, the most memorable among them being the ones from Exhume to Consume, the end of Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency, and the famous Ruptured in Purulence. Most people probably dismiss the solos before they hear them on an album like this, but as always, Steer's solos make sense. They're melodic, even bluesy and the riffs that they go over make them even more interesting.
The drumming is in the same vein as the other elements of this album - loose and organic, but brilliant. There aren't any virtuosic fills or anything that'll leave anyone in awe. However, extreme tempo and beat changes are handled so naturally, they might as well have not existed. Ken Owen's cymbal work and great loose snare sound on this album could make it worth listening to by itself.
Basically, Symphonies of Sickness is a well-arranged, yet churning and organic work, with an unmatchable amount of character.
© 1999 abasmagorsulpherion
Actually, the same goes for Symphonies. It is grindcore, but it's just as much death metal. The songs always flow the way one thinks they should - pleasant surprises, but no shocks, contrived or otherwise. Also, there aren't any Napalm Death-type ten second noise bursts/songs.
The whole album generally moves along at a very organic tempo, with periodic bursts of blasting speed. The album is chock-full of very memorable riffs that are melodic, in the sense that they rely mostly on pitch movement, even if they aren't in any key.
In fact, the album is incredibly organic in general. There's a certain looseness, a degree of controlled sloppiness, in the playing that really makes it breathe. Sometimes the guitars and drums participate in a give-and-take kind of interplay, and sometimes, especially during the blast sections, they seem to fight each other for control. Or in some blast sections, they just seem to fight violently with no intended target, like in the intro to Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites and the fast half of Ruptured in Purulence. The chaotic, splattery multiple vocal parts just make these sections better.
The album has its share of abrupt riff/feel changes. They always jump into these with some unevenness, but Carcass makes it sound good, whereas I've heard lots of bands just sound awkward or clumsy.
At the same time, the album has melodic riffs (compare the intro of Slash Dementia to that of Heartwork, BTW), good solos, and groove. Almost every song has riffs that really groove, the most memorable among them being the ones from Exhume to Consume, the end of Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency, and the famous Ruptured in Purulence. Most people probably dismiss the solos before they hear them on an album like this, but as always, Steer's solos make sense. They're melodic, even bluesy and the riffs that they go over make them even more interesting.
The drumming is in the same vein as the other elements of this album - loose and organic, but brilliant. There aren't any virtuosic fills or anything that'll leave anyone in awe. However, extreme tempo and beat changes are handled so naturally, they might as well have not existed. Ken Owen's cymbal work and great loose snare sound on this album could make it worth listening to by itself.
Basically, Symphonies of Sickness is a well-arranged, yet churning and organic work, with an unmatchable amount of character.
© 1999 abasmagorsulpherion