SHOULD CARCASS RECORD A NEW ALBUM?
Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back and re-sleep with some of my ex-girlfriends. I’ve been fortunate in that some of them were really good in bed, and sometimes I just think, “Gosh, it would be nice to have one last night with so-and-so who did that thing I really liked.” Of course, the reality is, the sex would almost certainly be anti-climactic; it’s entirely possible you’re idealizing your past, but even if you’re not, things change, and the idea of once again getting head from the girl you thought gave the best blowjobs in the world when you were nineteen is probably way sexier than the actual head would be.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying that I don’t think a new Carcass album would be a very good idea.
I mention it because in the past month both Bill Steer and Jeff Walker have said that they’re open to the idea. And I understand why, at least in theory: their reunion tour has been, at least as far as I can tell, a staggering success, so the thought of popping another quarter in to give the mechanical pony one more ride must be almost too tempting to resist.
But here’s the thing: the album can’t be good. Even if it’s good, it can’t be good enough. With the passage of so much time and the elevation of the band’s catalog to sacred status, they would literally have to make the greatest death metal album of all time for it to live up to expectations. As my mansionmate Vince might put it, a new album could only tarnish this legendary band’s legacy.
Of course, right now a new Carcass album is just talk, and there is the possibility that the band would make a record good enough to not just seem like a nostalgic cash in (The same way it’s possible that the new, Layne Staley-less Alice in Chains album will actually be good.). And if the band did record a new album, I’d certainly wanna hear it. But why dick around and risk it? Let’s leave good enough alone. The reunion tour was killer. If they wanna try and do it again in another ten years, I’ll be first in line – but for now, let’s allow Carcass to be, y’know, a carcass.
I’m curious to see what my fellow Carcass fans think. Weigh in with your opinion below.
-AR
