Carcass Won’t Be Rushing Out Their Next Record Anytime Soon
Grindcore progenitors Carcass may occasionally hit us with a new album every now and then, but they’re taking their time with the next one. And given their recent track record, it might be a while…
In a recent interview with Everblack podcast, guitarist Bill Steer says that the band aren’t decided on a plan for new material just yet.
“Not at the moment. I mean, as far as the eye can see, we’ve just got tours, dates, festivals. That would pretty much take us up towards the end of the year. And then, beyond that, yeah, this is something that would just have to be kind of, in some way, discussed between the various band members because we had a similar situation after we released Surgical Steel.
“We got deep into touring, and after a couple of years, I think one or two of us thought, ‘Well, maybe now we should start gradually working on some new material,’ but then you discover not everybody’s on the same page. So you go back and do another year or two of touring, and then before you know it, half a decade’s gone. So I’m kind of hoping we don’t mimic that situation too closely, because five years is a hell of a lot of time [between albums]. But, yeah, we’ve got to be at a point where everyone wants to record. So, if and when that time comes around, great. But it doesn’t feel like it’s particularly close right now.”
Looking at their release history, Carcass’ early years saw new albums about every two records or so. Yet since the band split up in 1996 and reformed in 2006, they’ve only put out two new records — 2013’s Surgical Steel and 2021’s Torn Arteries. That’s eight years in between, meaning if they’re keeping at that pace, we might be waiting a while until the next one.
In the meantime, Steer said he’s been working on a new band that he describes as more ’70s and NWOBHM-inspired heavy metal.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing some demos on and off for, I guess, a few months, a year or so, with a couple of friends in Leeds. And we haven’t decided what to call it, but we’ve done a whole bunch of tunes, maybe around 15 or so, with the idea that at some point we’ll pick the best numbers and record them properly for an album. ‘Cause I just had really wanted to do something of that nature for quite a while; I just didn’t really have the confidence or any kind of vision of a way forward.
“But my friends were very sort of helpful in getting me started on that. And, yeah, it’s just nice to have another outlet for your music, because Carcass doesn’t record very often, as we discussed. I actually enjoy being in the studio, so, yeah, it’d be really nice if I could make an album with someone else, really.”
Oh yeah, we’re definitely going to be waiting a while…
