Year Of Metal #004: Carcass - Heartwork
We’re back to the scary stuff on the cover of this one: what appears to be a spine with hands, draped across a peace symbol (designed by H. R. Giger no less). It’s a bit full on, but it’s a surprisingly neat summation of where the band were on their fourth album. There are plenty of brutal guitars and thumping drums, but at times the melodies are downright shiny, in (for my tastes) a positive way. The likes of “Carnal Forge” boast beautiful, sweeping passages from guitarist Michael Amott that rise gracefully above the menace.
To suggest Carcass had cleaned up their act by 1993’s Heartwork would be pushing a point, but it’s certainly an aural evolution from the gory grind of their earlier work. There’s a polish to this material as well as a far greater scope to the musical influence. “This Mortal Coil” is one of my favourites for the grab-baggery of it. The riff bounces along like a more mainstream-ready heavy act. It’s a bit thrash, a bit Maiden; all the while Jeff Walker’s sinister growls chop in and out at a slight remove, like a malignant presence infecting something otherwise almost radio friendly.
I think it’s the ability to wrongfoot listeners that has made this album so enduring. The title track again starts off with some relatively easy going guitar work, harmonised solos, all that fun stuff. Once that’s out of the way, though, it’s all out war. The snare fills explode, and Walker’s an attack dog on the vocals. I like his approach here more than the lower rumble he used in their earlier days - he’s got fantastic control when he sings, as well as great character.
That’s best exemplified on “Blind Bleeding The Blind” (they’re suckers for wordplay are Carcass), the darkest and most grizzly effort on Heartwork. They keep it slow for a couple of tension-building minutes; Walker ditches words altogether, snarling low in the mix beneath downtuned riffs. At last, the band lets loose. Here the soloing is much more technical, an abrasive cherry on the cake.
I think this one’s terrific on the whole - for a record that so obviously luxuriates in evil and horror imagery, it’s surprisingly playful with plenty of variety and a sound that toes the line between clarity and savagery. They pass the “do these look like nice blokes in photos?” test while still bringing the heat - you can’t say fairer than that.
