Review: Torn Arteries by Carcass

5/5 stars

Death metal band Carcass has teased their long-awaited new album since they released the single “Under The Scalpel Blade” in 2019. Originally set to be released in 2020, COVID pushed Carcass’s production back a year, but fans agree that it was well worth the wait. Torn Arteries is a brutal and exciting album filled to the brim with morbid lyrics, neck-breaking riffs, and Carcass’s signature sound: old-school death metal with modern-day recording and rendering. The result is a crisp, clean sound allowing listeners to hear every brutal, intricate detail. The first song, also named “Torn Arteries,” gives listeners the perfect introduction, setting the tone for the rest of the album with blastbeat drums and screeching & growling vocals. The rest of the album continues in a similar fashion.

The songs flow together well, and the album is consistent, but this doesn’t mean that all the songs sound the same. In fact, each song has diverse influences and sounds, while still maintaining that classic death metal vibe. For example, “The Devil Rides Out” starts with a wailing rock-n-roll style riff, and continues with a chord progression reminiscent of Testament & other old-school heavy metal. The bridge of the song features a crisp guitar
solo that once again brings listeners back to the late 80’s and early 90’s death metal, while still being consistent with the rest of the album. It definitely stood out in the best way possible. This album has no weak points. Every song is a completely unique experience, but altogether it creates a masterful album with a consistent sound that blends old school metal and new-age music technology effortlessly. Carcass still has the same intense, over the top heavy-hitting musical energy that they had back in the late 80s andearly 90s, which marked the beginning of their trailblazing
career.