Carcass - Heartwork (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

DEATH METAL TURNING POINT!!!

Andrea Moretti | Italy | 06/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I owned this cd few months later its release back in 1993 when I was deep into classic death metal (Entombed, Morbid Angel, Dismember, Sepultura, Death etc...). I consider "Heartwork" the turning point of my "career" as guitarist and, most of all, as death metal listener. I love "Necroticism" too as it's another great pice of death metal art, but I hate Carcass previous releases ("Simphony" and "Reek" are to death/grind oriented and they sound chaos to my ears!). Amott forcing his way through the song writing of the band is the real point that makes Heartwork their best album ever in my opinion. The swedish guitar player is a great artist with amazing musical/compositive tastes and amazing ideas! I'd describe his style as a cool mixture of classical and death metal riffs, just listen to "Death Certificate" (WHAT A SONG!!!) and "Embodiment", tracks where his influence is stronger, and you'll get my point of view. No weak episodes inside "Heartwork" mates, 10 intense songs...unforgettable moments listening to "This Mortal Coil", "Arbeit Macht Fleisch" and the title-track itself! Walker vocals are unique in the genre, they catch you by the balls...There's only one thing that don't allow Carcass to reach perfection: lyrics! I've read in other costumers reviews you often need a vocabulary...well, as I wasn't born english mother tongue it's difficult to me to understand and memorize their songs at once...That's not too serious, I mean I'd rate the band 4.9 out of 5 for that...eheheh...yet at the same time I must admit is something intriguing..."A grim myriad, a grey kaleidoscope, sterile, contrasting...cross index, cross dissected, cross referenced, contabescence..." YEAH!!! BUY IT AND DO NOT MISS AMOTT'S ARCH ENEMY!!!"

Your Death Certificate

27bStroke6 | 04/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Heart Work...is, simply put, probably the greatest death metal album ever recorded. In my opinion, these guys have achieved a genius combination of brutality, finesse, complexity, sophistication, technicality and emotionalism unmatched by any other band. They leave the rest in the dust and make them seem like children playing on Sesame Street. Don't waste your time, this album and Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious, is all you need really...toss the rest out. Death Certificate is all you need to know...and it's over. Literally."

Classic Carcass disc

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 08/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Carcass' sixth full length album, 1993's "Heartwork," was a very important album for two very different genres. It was one of the first and most important melodic death metal releases, but it has also become a vastly influential and world-renowned landmark for grindcore/death-grind metal. Countless grindcore bands (i.e. Dying Fetus, Aborted, and Impaled to name just a few) would go on to incorporate some "Heartwork"-style groove into their patented brutality.

"Heartwork"'s groovey riffs, memorable hooks, melodic parts (including harmonized notes and bluesy guitar soloing), and overtly conventional song structures made it a lot more commercially accessible than previous albums, thus launching Carcass into the mainstream. Of course, as a result, many longtime fans claimed that the group had "sold out" (this is also considered to be one of metal's first and most famous "sell-out" albums), but this was clearly a band on its way up, and a band that was obviously more concerned with expanding its dynamic range, sonic soundscape, and listening fanbase than just rehashing the same music to please old-school fans. And don't worry, "Heartwork" is still plenty heavy - it is filled with intricate, thrashy, white-hot riffs, muscular rhythms, technical, winding, Megadethian solos, complex yet precise blast beats, and wicked vocals. (In addition to laying down some black metal-inspired shrieks, vocalist Jeff Walker hisses and snarls like a possessed cat as he spews forth his lyrics like venom.)

"Carnal Forge" and "Embodiment" are two particularly catchy numbers and boast pounding rhythms with ultra-heavy, churning riffs, and the title track has blistering, rapid-fire power chords. Two of the other best and most brutal tracks are the thunderous, machine gun riffs on "Arbeit Macht Fleisch," and the scorching, awesome-sounding "Blind Bleeding the Blind." But, on the flip side, songs like "No Love Lost" and "Doctrinal Expletives" sound somewhat restrained due to their melodic, wailing solos.

What is "Heartwork"? A complete and total cuh-lassic. There's nothing more to it. It's just one of those albums that you need to own or you will forever be un-metal."

Heartwork, it's more like Headwork.

Alex A. Fintonis | Bay City, MI United States | 02/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One will need some headwork after listening to this album. It's that good. Carcass were one of those bands that helped make death metal a little more widely known and is one of the genre's leaders. This is due to the fact of their release of "Heartwork". This was their first release on a major label Columbia records. Carcass being on major label definitely influenced them. But in my opinion it was still a head banging release, unlike most times when an extreme band moves to a major label it turns them soft. Not the case with "Heartwork". Granted it is more polished, the vocals are cleaner and the band definitely sounds less raw. But Carcass pulls it off extremely well.

This record is still extremely heavy, filled with rip roaring riffs and pounding drums. Some people might consider this Carcass's sell out album; by no means this is a sellout record. Tracks like " Carnal Forge", "Heartwork", and "This Mortal Coil" shred with some really heavy and brutal grooves. One of the better-known tracks from the album is "No Love Lost" which was a bit of odd song for Carcass at the time. It took me a few listens to get use to it but the raspy vocals still give the track that Carcass signature sound.

Carcass was one of top influential death metal bands in the early 90s. They defiantly were one of the leaders on the European side of things. While there were bands such as Morbid Angel, Death, Obituary, and Suffocation on the American side, there were bands such as Carcass, Napalm Death, Entombed, and Dismember on the European side. Although "Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious" is considered one Carcass' best and most influential one can not over look "Heartwork" and it's brutal aggressiveness in the world of death metal.

"

Smart, Beautiful, Angry, and Awesome

Rexomus | Chicago | 06/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll never forget the weekend off from military school in 1994 that I first heard Carcass. With the weekend off I switched on "Headbangers Ball". I missed the credit intro, but while the tv warmed up I could hear the beginning guitar harmonies of "Heartwork". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the heaviest most a$$ kicking yet melodic and angry music I had ever heard. And then that voice came punching through the speakers like a person whom had enough of corrupt society and was going to let you know about it. I have been forever hooked from the point on.

This album was a break through for the deathmetal/grind genre. Bill Steer, Jeff Walker, Ken Owen, and Michael Amott went to another dimension with this album. Producer Colin Richardson cleaned up the sound for this record generating the sonic punch the band and the genre deserved. For a long time Death metal had been plagued and discredited for lame and shoty production and mixing. This album proved that the genre was indeed just as, if not more, technically and melodically creditable as any other music. Carcass proved Death Metal can be a joy to listen to when properly produced, engineered, and mixed.

Michael and Bill proved a powerful team for the band and this album. Bill has a more laid back and organic approach that allow the vocals to be front and center while it balances out Amott's technical and orchestrated hooks. Ken's drum work righteously serves the melody lines and never distracts from the modal machinations of Steer and Amott. Jeff's voice adds the vocal edge the music deserves and his bass lines compliment every chord progression while at the same time adding dynamics both harmonically and rhythmically with every beat of percussion.

This album is a very raw yet precise representation of Carcass and what the genre should be. Carcass possessed an attitude, intellect, and integrity that served death metal very well and has yet to be duplicated. I recommend this album to any serious musician, composer, or music lover. 5 stars!"

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