Carcass Albums Ranked

Carcass is an English extreme metal band from Liverpool that was formed in 1986. The band has gone through several line-up changes, leaving guitarist Bill Steer and bassist and vocalist Jeff Walker as the only constant members. They broke up in 1996 but reformed in 2007 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons. To date, the band has released six studio albums, two compilation albums, four EPs, two demo albums, one video album, and six music videos. Carcass is regarded as the pioneer of the goregrind genre. Their early work was also tagged as “splatter death metal”, and “hardcore” on account of their morbid lyrics and gruesome album covers. Their fourth album, Heartwork (1993), is considered a landmark in the melodic death metal genre. Carcass was also one of the few death metal acts to sign to a major label, with Columbia Records handling North American distribution for Heartwork, while the album was distributed worldwide by Earache who released all of the band’s albums up to and including Swansong (1996). The band’s lyrics often focus on animal rights issues. Walker and Steer are both vegetarians. Steer used to be vegan and Walker was a hunt saboteur. Here are all of Carcass’ albums ranked.

Don’t miss out on the pulsating metal sound of Carcass below! Click to enjoy the songs that made them popular in the UK and the US!

9. Choice Cuts (2004)

“Good mix of the best songs of Carcass. There are a few glaring omissions but newcomers will be well served by this introduction. If you own all the albums already, you won’t find any unreleased tracks outside of the 1989-1990 Peel Sessions (which are tacked onto the end of this comp) which isn’t necessary unless you are someone who enjoys having multiple versions of the same tracks. Great, offensive, lurid album cover as well. Best to hide this one from Grandma!”

8. Wake Up And Smell The… (1996)

“Compilations are often hit and miss affairs and they seem to take on two particular formats. Firstly, there’s the “best of” compilation that attempts to place all the best tracks a band has released on one disc while spanning their entire career. This normally ends up being a great starting point for newcomers, but a bit superfluous for long time fans.”

7. Despicable (2020)

“Despicable” features a heavy, powerful, and detailed sounding production job, and it´s a sound which is perfect for the material. Upon conclusion “Despicable” is yet another high quality release from Carcass, and although I wouldn´t call it a mandatory listen, it´s still great to finally hear some new material from the band.”

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6. Reek Of Putrefaction (1988)

“Hardcore with authentic brooding atmosphere (a type that is imitated often and recreated rarely), dynamic shifts in song structure, bleak and gut-wrenching lyricism, songs which begin as heart-stoppingly abrupt as they end, crazed guitar solos and drum thrashing that sound anarchic and uncontrolled, and dark feral growls that sound like they’re echoing from a cave.”

5. Symphonies Of Sickness (1989)

“This is an amazing album that deserves its canonization as a death metal / goregrind classic. Even more so for those who think goregrind is shorthand for “sub-minute thrashers where shock is first and music is second”; albums like this and Dead Infection’s “A Chapter of Accidents” are all about the music, exploring grisly details as a way to emphasize the extremeness of the sound.”

4. Surgical Steel (2013)

“Years after hearing this for the first time, this is still one of the best melodeath albums I’ve heard. What makes it better than others is it’s not only really fucking harsh, but it’s the perfect mid-ground between straight death metal and melodeath. Not saccharine sweet, not too gritty, and cadaverous in its underworld/earthy pestilence. The grooves, blast beats, and songwriting are so well put together. This is a melodeath album done with love. It’s genuine. It ripples with energy, sickness, and intensity. An incredible comeback. I’m impressed every time I hear this.”

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3. Swansong (1996)

“This is probably the most underrated album in my collection. Swansong is an absolute classic in Death ‘n’ Roll, full to the brim with memorable riffs, soulful and bluesy guitar solos that will melt your face, and yet still extreme enough to piss off the neighbours. What else can you ask for?”

2. Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious (1991)

“A whole hell of a lot of fun, and a comfy listen, Carcass find a way to make death metal sound inviting and bouncy to the ears. It’s a little too shaggy and long-winded, the ideal version of this would probably be a tight 35, but it’s never boring, and never goes more than a minute with throwing a cool musical moment your way. The sort of record you can just drift on.”

1. Heartwork (1993)

“Even a non-death metal fan like me can still appreciate that this is a very well put-together album. The songs show particular attention to songcraft without neglecting the all-important riff and solo work throughout, and for it’s day it shows particular leaps forward in terms of incorporating melodies into the harsh death metal abbrasiveness.”