In April 2015 I was lucky enough to witness one of the finest gigs ever to take place on the shores of Aotearoa, namely when Carcass supported Napalm Death, a gig which has gone on to legendary status for metalheads. That night Carcass were epic, even if they were playing a shortened set due to Bill Steer having munted his wrist in Wellington, celebrating the fact they had released a new album just a few years earlier, some 17 years on from the previous one. Fast forward five years to 2020 and here we find Jeff and Bill with an EP, and still no sign of another album (apparently coming out in 2021). 19 minutes, four songs, and here is an extremely clinical despatch of death metal, Carcass style.

There is the impression that this is a collection of material possibly not fit for an album, although “Under The Scalpel Blade” is going to be on the album in 2021, but was actually released as a single in 2019, so am not sure of the point of releasing it again here? Possibly not enough additional material available? This does feel like an opportunity missed, as it is way too clinical and clean, and I found myself wishing it had been roughed up and brutalised like they did in the old days. I guess we will have to wait for the album, but I hope the material and production is more like the Carcass of old as this does not have the distinct feel and aggression of one of our finest bands.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialCarcass
https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/