The 2014 Arsies: January 21, 2014

January 21, 2014

C A R C A S S !
Surgical Steel had to have been the most anticipated album in 2013. Seventeen years is a long time to go between albums, longer still when you remember that for much of that time, Carcass was simply disbanded. And that's what made the run-up to this album's release so worrisome. Would the band even be able to survive making the record? Would it sound like Swansong Mk II? And how would it sound without Mike Amott's involvement? All those fears are put to rest with the album opener, Thrasher's Abbatoir, an in-your-face throwdown that sets the stage for the rest of the album. Here is a lovingly reimagined catalog of anything that anyone loves about the two albums from Carcass's heyday, Necroticism and Heartwork: inscrutible lyrics, tight guitarsmithing, and infectious headbanging throughout. Not only is Surgical Steel possibly the best return to form imaginable for Carcass, but in its own right it's just an unflagging rollercoaster of a grind/thrash album. It'll take a remarkable act to best Carcass this year.
As luck would have it, I Killed Everyone is not that contender. I mean, they're good, sure. Necrospire is every bit the album that The Acacia Strain should have put out in 2013. But c'mon now. Carcass wins this one so handily, IKE don't even seem to mind.
Tomorrow, The Black Dahlia Murder try to Scale The Summit. See what I did there?