Swansong
Occupation
- Jeff Walker: vocals, bass
- Bill Steer: Electric Guitar
- Carlo Regadas: Electric Guitar
- Ken Owen: Drums
Swansong is the fifth studio album by the British extreme metal band Carcass. The album was released in June 1996 on Earache Records and thus after the official band broke up in 1995. The original reviews were mixed and the album did not sell to the satisfaction of the record company.
Background
Following the release of the previous album Heartwork the record deal with Earache Records was fulfilled. Band manager Martin Nesbitt tied then contacts with Columbia Records, inquiries were also of East West, a British sub-label of Warner Music Group. On April 3, 1994 Carcass signed the contract with Columbia. For the new album the 20- year-old from Liverpool Dating Carlo Regadas was required, as second guitarist. Bassist and vocalist Jeff Walker and guitarist Bill Steer started with the songwriting and disagreed about the musical direction from the beginning. While Walker wanted the album " even more extreme [ sic] and intensive " is as Heartwork, wanted to steer " these riffs just do not write any more ." These differences continued into during the studio recordings, which began in February 1995 Studios in Rockfield. As Carcass Jim Welch of Columbia Records presented the first drafts, an argument arose between the band and record label. Welch did not like the musical direction, he criticized the vocal performances by Walker and acknowledged the lack of at least " three true hard, but also memorable [n ] songs ." Producer Colin Richardson summed up that Swansong had " the class and the awesome riffs of" Heartwork " " lacking, the panel was " a single mishmash ".
In the spring of 1995, the record contract was dissolved and Carcass received a financial compensation of Columbia. With the money, put the tape recordings in April 1995 finished. During the studio stay, there were repeated dispute between Walker and Steer, so Bill Steer left after the end of the recordings Carcass. This meant the dissolution of the band. Manager Martin Nesbitt offered the finished album Earache Records and it appeared about a year after the official band broke up in June 1996, Bill Steer later said about the album.:
" " Swansong " just was not what people were expecting from us. Whether ... old fans, new fans, the label ... all were disappointed. "
The album was only moderately successful, it reached # 68 in the UK album charts and number 33 on the album charts in Finland.
The album was released as Shape- CD in the form of a top view of a human brain.