Carcass News

Carcass need no introduction at all - simply put, to their legions of devotees worldwide, the band made some of the most significant extreme music ever released, and spawned not only the gore/grind scene, but made a dramatic impact on the melodic death metal scene with their last two albums. More than any other former band, we receive more emails about Carcass per day than anyone.

For the first time since the band split around 1996/1997, bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker tries with the benefit of hindsight to explain how and why Carcass left the lasting impression they did.

INTERVIEW WITH JEFF WALKER FOR EARACHE.COM

1. For those more recent fans and devotees, please elaborate on how Carcass came into being - how did Bill, Ken and yourself meet and when and where did the first rehearsals and songwriting sessions as a band take place?
Bill and Ken and a couple of friends when they were really young coined the name "CARCASS", i guess it was a kinda 'bedroom' band, just messing about, you know a sort extreme metal band as they were into early Thrash and Death Metal and so on. I met/was asked to join the band that Bill was in then, they were called "DISATTACK" and as the name suggests they were a DISCHARGE 'clone' band. The then singer asked me to join playing bass, they were changing their name to CARCASS as they liked that name and Bill had a logo that a Scottish lad (I believe) had drawn (it looked suspiciously like the Marillion logo to me !) and they were changing 'tact' from being a straight ahead hardcore band to doing more 'metal' stuff as I guess Bill was starting to speak up and wrestle control/influence away from the rest of the band. One of the first things I did was draw the CARCASS logo that the band used ! We used to rehearse in Bill's parents house on the top floor- we only had a few rehearsals as a four piece - the drummer kind of lost interest, which was convenient as we kinda lost interest in his pedestrian style ! (Me and Bill wanted a more faster drummer shall we say ?). So anyhow Bill suggested his friend Ken who had just bought a cheap kit and was starting to play, so we started rehearsing with Ken. The vocalist then decided he didn't want to continue so he quit, his final act being to suggest Sanjiv who we all knew as vocalist....

2. What was your own personal route into the extreme music scene - for example you were in Electro Hippies before joining Carcass, right?
Yeah, I was in that band for a bit as me and Simon were friends and I lived near him. I did a few gigs as the singer and appeared on the first self financed split 12" they shared with Generic. Simon kicked me out of the band citing the 'fact' that I didn't "contribute" anything (financially). The bass player was also leaving at the same time, so it was his bass guitar I bought, and 'cos I'd left the singer of Bill's band asked me to join them.... Maybe I'm not answering this properly ? The route in for me was growing up into punk rock, then hardcore punk, then into 'metal' as there was a big 'crossover' were a lot of hardcore and metal started to sound very similar...

3. I guess that Bill was already well known from his fanzine and then via Napalm Death? Who came up with the name Carcass and were any other names considered?
As I said earlier Bill already had the name from when he was younger, I think he coined it. No, no other names were considered, but I remember trying to convince him and Ken to change it to "MUCOPURULENCE EXCRETOR" as I thought the name CARCASS was bit cheesy and 'gay' ! Obviously they were having none of it !!!!

4. You had also been responsible for the artwork on some albums, perhaps most noticeably 'Scum', but what other art did you undertake?
I did the NAPALM DEATH sleeve/logo, the EARACHE logo, the early CARCASS sleeves /logo, an album sleeve for a band called "AXEGRINDER", that's all that springs to mind...

5. Was the idea behind Carcass from the very beginning to incorporate extreme imagery and lyrics?
Maybe from Bill and Ken, but to be honest the actual "Reek Of Putrefaction" cover is a result of Dig's (EARACHE) encouragement. When we were recording the album he turned up with a Forensic Medicine book suggesting we use a picture from it - he basically wanted a more 'extreme' album cover then BIG BLACK's "Headache" (the limited edition one)....so I went away and encouraged by the fact that he said Lydia Lunch had a sleeve that was a collage I did the "Reek..." sleeve..... The lyrics are a result of Ken's twisted imagination (plus the influence of DEATH and REPULSION etc.) - I kinda added the 'medical dictionary' twist as I basically just hijacked my sister's (who was training as nurse) dictionary ! Oh I must point out Bill wrote about a third of the lyrics on "Reek.." as well, it was a real 'collaboration'....

6. How much of the production on the first two albums was due down to inexperience and how much was actually the sound you wanted? You may or may not be aware but many bands took inspiration from the compressed sound on both 'Reek of Putrefaction' and 'Symphonies of Sickness'......
All of it..but not necessarily ours - the engineer on "Reek.." made a real dog's dinner of the sound...We tried mixing it three times, the guitars got re-recorded....The original engineer fucked it up and we salvaged what we could with another guy....It was the third mix I believe which you hear now on the album... But you could never change it, I'm well aware that it's part of it's 'charm'....
Obviously "Symphonies..." was a vast improvement, the credit obviously goes to Colin Richardson who whipped us into shape and got a decent sound, and 'performance'...

7. For the live show, who came up with the idea for the slideshow and how easy was to it to come by the grotesque images you plastered on that screen behind the band? In the pre-internet age I guess that you didn't simply enter 'Gore' into a search engine......
That was Ken fucking about with his dad's camera - he did a box of slides using the books/album sleeves we used. I thought they were cool, but thought we could do better so I went 'round to his and we did another box. The pictures were just from medical/ forensic books - it's 'amazing' what you can find in student's bookshops/ libraries.....!!

8. What about the lyrical concepts in more detail - how much humour was involved and how did that sit alongside the more serious messages you were trying to get across? And practically, how did you cope with vocalising such tongue-twisting wordplay?
Well you couldn't really write/take what we wrote seriously ?? You take anything to it's extreme and it just becomes funny I mean like the joke "What do you get if you stab a baby with a kitchen knife ? An erection of course !" - it's so twisted it becomes funny !
There was never any 'message' to what we were doing saying, except we could always justify it to ourselves (or anyone who was interested) by 'intellectualising' and pontificating about being non meat eaters ourselves and believing in 'free speech'...
The vocalising ? We just had to get on with it..I remember being on the train on the way to record "Reek..." deciding to split the vocals, (I actually wanted to take a back seat as I thought I was shit after the ELECTRO HIPPIES experience), but somehow I got dragged into doing about a third (my ego maybe ??!) Anyhow after recording the album we just had to get on with it live - it's funny as I never thought in a million years I'd be capable of bluffing my way through playing bass and the vocals !!

9. Describe the role of John Peel in the bands formative years.
He basically got "Reek Of Putrefaction" and played it solidly on is show on BBC Radio One five nights a week for a month solid. He later voted it his favourite album of the year in The Observer (newspaper). I think he had sympathies cos he grew up near Bill and Ken ! He then invited us in to do a 'session' on his show....

10. What was the reaction of other bands in the scene at the time - was Carcass always considered a serious proposition or did you have to in some ways prove your worth, I wonder if some simply considered you a shock-value band?
All the other bands we knew in the 'scene' at the time were friends, I'm thinking along the lines of NAPALM DEATH ,BOLT THROWER, ENTOMBED etc. We were all doing different stuff, but we never felt 'threatened' by each other, everyone had there own 'egos' !! Plus we were all different enough to co-exist...I never felt we had to prove our worth....We were lucky for some reason like the Emperor and his new clothes we 'fooled' everyone !!! We were never a 'shock value' band, if anything people were possibly disappointed when they saw us in the 'flesh' as we never really put on a 'show' if you like and we were reasonably sane, if not nice guys !

11. All the players were exceptionally musical in that the mastery of the respective instruments was of a high degree - did you consider yourselves as technically advanced and if so how did that contrast with the somewhat muffled production on the first two albums?
Well that's very kind of you, but not necessarily true ! No one in the band thought of themselves as virtuosos, we're all quite humble about our 'proficiencies', I'd go as far as to say that I'm pretty non musical myself ! But what we may of lacked as way as 'technique' we made up for in ideas and imagination, especially Ken who as a drummer could never be satisfied by playing a straight four/four rock beat...As a person and a drummer Ken is just too....and I say this as a compliment.....too erratic !

12 .If the point of the early message was based around a vegan/anti-vivisection stance did you feel that shock tactics were simply the best way to get the message across? After all a lot of people simply got off on the 'gore' aspect rather than any more serious message, did that disappoint you in any way?
There is no substance to what you're suggesting. We didn't eat meat - we never made an 'issue' of it. The only reason there's butchered animals on "Symphonies.." for example was to fill space !! (Plus as a 'thought provoking' joke..)

13 .Did the controversy surrounding the artwork on the early records and tracks like 'Exhume to Consume' shock you? At the same time it must have helped to gain the band credibility as well as all important publicity?
I don't think there was any really ? Our initial intent was to record a 'cult' album that would sell a thousand copies (which we thought was a lot) with the most gross sleeve ever, which hopefully would get 'banned', but only for notoriety, not for sales....I guess we didn't succeed ?

14. Its maybe ironic that a lot of the bands influenced by Carcass emphasised only the sicker aspects of the for less savoury reasons, did you perhaps feel they had therefore misinterpreted what Carcass was about?
Well if people write 'sick' lyrics and there's no irony there, and they're 'serious', then yes they've definitely 'misinterpreted' CARCASS - it was all very tongue in cheek, even if that was a severed one inside the mouth of a dead foetus....

15. No band can claim to have advanced so profoundly as Carcass, mutating from a sludgy beginning to a crisper, leaner more melodic sound through finally to a rockier, more straightforward direction - with hindsight was this a conscious decision or simply a process of having greater confidence and simple progression through experience?
We did all our 'growing up' musically and otherwise in public that's all, I guess you could say we got 'mellower' and more musical and each subsequent release ? The better we got at playing and the clearer the production got, I guess took some of the 'mystique' away from what we were doing, I mean at the end of the day it's just "rock and roll" (albeit faster and heavier !) None of this was 'conscious', except maybe we tried to rectify errors, I mean we weren't happy at the time with how "Reek.." turned out, whilst now I accept it for what it is - at the other extreme "Swansong" would have benefited from a better guitar sound (at the very least) - tho' I stand by the 'conscious decision' to make it the simplified stripped down album, both musically, lyrically etc. that it is.

16. Within those defined periods were distinct changes in the nature of the material, retaining a degree of complexity but shifting emphasis to a more song based, even 'traditional rock' styled structure. Did this seem just a natural thing to do or were you intent on changing deliberately with each album, perhaps to deter the numerous copy-cats that were spawned? Its again ironic that whichever way you turned, the copycats followed......
Maybe we just forgot our roots ? Maybe we just lost track of what influenced us/turned us on in the beginning ?

17. Many fans still consider 'Necroticism' to be the perfect stepping stone between early and later period Carcass. Do you consider that album your finest hour and can you recollect some of the buzz within the band when recording the album? You must have known you were on to something pretty special?
I don't think it's our finest hour - it's all subjective isn't it ? I think for some people it reminds them/takes them back to a time/a place in their lives just like "New Day Rising" by Husker Du does for me....It's almost a 'romantic' idealistic thing... There was no real buzz with being labelless, spending twenty/fifteen thousand pounds, running out of time/cash and you've not even finished the bass tacks !!! It only became 'special' to others after the time/the event, we were too 'close' to it to notice - in some respects it was kinda scraped together, almost 'flux like' - things got chopped and changed in the studio or (like the sounds/samples) between tracks were just improvised on the spot. There was no masterplan to make it our 'finest hour'...

18. What credit do you give to the successful mutation of Carcass into a more streamline outfit to Mike Amott and how do you view the path of his career with Arch Enemy, a band who certainly base a large part of their sound on the style perfected on 'Heartwork'?

Well him and Bill played well of each other as far as writing etc. goes and lets face it he came up with some brilliant riffs - you have to remember that a lot of the earlier stuff was written by Ken that interpreted by Bill in to licks/riffs/drum patterns.
Mike taught us how to be posers, ha, ha ! He also influenced us to take what we did more seriously - but to be honest the best thing he brought to the band was his sense of humour - he was great fun to have around. Arch Enemy ? Well face it Mike left CARCASS cos he wasn't into it and wanted to do SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, it took him a long time to come to terms with "Heartwork" as from what Bill tells me he wasn't really into it at the time, so I guess his 'career' with ARCH ENEMY is kinda ironic ? (No doubt I'm gonna be accused of being bitchy etc., but you asked and I'm just being honest). I can accept/see how good they are and why people like them, but in all honesty it doesn't really turn me on...

19. What were the influences on the band, a) during the first two album period, b) as you approached Necroticism and c) during the lead up to 'Heartwork'? Did changing musical tastes account for the progression, or was there a desire to be taken more seriously as songwriters?
a)REPULSION, DEATH, SLAYER, NAPALM DEATH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, INSANITY, DISCHARGE, MASTER, MORBID ANGEL, NYC MAYHEM, ARCH ENEMY, MACABRE, CRUCIFIX, and so on....
b)All of the above, plus WATCHTOWER, CONFESSOR, HEATHEN, KING DIAMOND, QUEENSRYCHE, EUROPE (???!!!)
c)All of the above plus HELMET, THIN LIZZY, PANTERA were really popular with the other three, TROUBLE....I can't really think of anything, by this time CARCASS was really almost self perpetuating...... Musical tastes definitely affected the 'progression' but the reality is that we were no longer kids ripping off our favourite bands - other styles/bands were influencing us that weren't necessarily 'metal' or whatever...I mean lyrically HEARTWORK is pretty "punk rock"...

20. 'Heartwork' has certainly become the benchmark by which 'melodic Death Metal' has become judged. Did you/or do you see that album as almost the extreme version of classic metal acts like Iron Maiden, and did you feel you were taking a risk in departing more obviously from the longer, more convoluted 'Necroticism' material?
There's only one MAIDEN riff there thankyouverymuch ! No I don't think we ever thought of it in the terms that your putting it....I don't think we took a risk, I don't think we ever took any risks (well not musically, we took gambles by investing our own money in recording etc.) I think we should have tried harder and not be as lazy and complacent as we were...

21. No doubt you are aware of the gore soundalikes but you then totally recreated an immense influence on the future extreme scene with the melodic direction taken on 'Heartwork'. Without that there would be no Scandinavian explosion......Its an immense achievement to almost single handedly create not one but two styles within a genre, are you able to view that objectively or do you simply consider that Carcass did what it did and the rest just followed on?
I think you're giving CARCASS more credit than it deserves..I guess that's objective ? I'm sure, am certain we've influenced other bands, but it's not like we were the only death metal band on the planet !

22. How was the Coulmbia major label experience for the band and for you personally. Rumour was that you were even asked to take singing lessons?
And ultimately did the experience toll the end for Carcass or was perhaps the writing on the wall anyway?

It was fun whilst it lasted. Yeah Jim Welch (A&R guy, who used to run EARACHE USA) suggested that, maybe I needed them ?!!! To be honest I wished I'd tried the approach that I used on the BLACKSTAR CD.......I also seem to recall there was some talk of trying to convince me to have my hair dreaded again !!! The Major label thing didn't kill off the band, but it kind of added to it, I mean where do you go after that ? (Music For Nations maybe??! Ha!)

23. Would you put the Columbia debacle down to your failure to accept the majors way of doing things or more their inflexibility towards a band as uncompromising as Carcass?
It's all down to the fact that rock/metal or whatever was out of favour at the time cos they were all chasing the new Nirvana - ironic given the current climate eh ? We did what they asked of us which is more than the label did for us !!!

24. Was 'Swansong' really the end for Carcass? Did you see a progression for the band beyond that point and if so where did you see the band heading?
Well it was, literally wasn't it ?! How could the band progress if the guitarist wanted out/call it a day ?? I couldn't see anything after that album that was it's zenith/nadir - stripping it down making it ultra simple/easy to swallow for a 'mass market'....You need to keep it interesting why bother making 5 albums that all sound identical ????

25. How disappointed where you when Blackstar didn't quite take off as might have been expected?
I didn't expect anything of it - it sold twelve thousand plus copies (haven't a clue about the USA) so that's better than a kick in the teeth ? The recording of it was possibly the funnest recording sessions I was ever involved in. So just for that it was worthwhile...

26. And did the Blackstar adventure signal the end of your involvement in the music business? Have you at all been tempted to make a return?
Well that's the last album I recorded - it gets tiring trying to keep it all together! To be in a band you have to have drive, vision, single bloody mindedness, self believe and an ego. I personally think it can bring out the worst in people, it did in me! I have no plans/ideas at the moment, but never say never (I'm still waiting for the 'phone call !)

27. Mike Amott has been reported as suggesting a Carcass reformation is on the cards - how do you respond to that?
Not a chance in hell - I'd only ever consider it if Ken is ever in a position where he is physically capable of doing it and he actually wants to.

28. Can you explain why Carcass' appeal was so universal? Maybe its down to pure originality but the bands fanbase spread across Europe, the US, Japan, Australia, it was truly global. That must be a very proud thing to look back on, but is there any thoughts 'of what might have been' in your mind? There's no doubt that the band went out on a high, which must have contributed to the continuing 'cult of Carcass' ?

It's not my 'job' to explain the appeal, I'm the wrong person, I'm not the biggest fan of CARCASS ! Looking back there's a lot I'd change, do better (try harder maybe ?) Of course I'm 'proud' - it's a once in a lifetime thing.....We weren't in the right place/right time obviously there's other bands influenced by us who've put a commercial spin on 'extreme music' and they're coining it in - but we were never in it for the money, plus look at the bands like REPULSION that influenced us - I mean they never got their 'just deserves ' right ?

We have a lot to be thankful for and I'm well aware of that and I can say with out the slightest hint of irony that it hasn't made me 'bitter' (I already was !!!) Did we go out on a high ? I think there are lot of people who would disagree....

Many rumours have circulated about Carcass' drummer Ken Owen since the band split - many knew that Ken has been seriously ill, but the total blackout by way of official statements led to many wild speculations. I'm pleased to report that whilst Ken has had a massively difficult time with his health over the past few years, he is actually far more active than people might expect. As an important part of the Carcass history, we invited Ken to explain in his own words what has been going on since the band split, and for the first time to disclose the extent of his health problems. It also with the greatest respect and admiration that we can report that Ken is well on his way to recovery, and remains as chirpy and affable as ever!

INTERVIEW WITH KEN OWEN FOR EARACHE.COM

1. Ken - there are so many well wishers around the world who want to know, simply - how are you?
I'm stronger and feel as though I'm getting better every day. The good wishes of other people have been a huge encouragement to me.

2. Please explain a little (as much as you want to) about your illness and exactly what happened.
Other people's illnesses can be very boring, but briefly - in February 1999 I had a brain haemorrhage at home. I spent 10 months in hospital slowly emerging from a coma. While I was recovering the medics discovered the cause of the haemorrhage - a defect in the circulation in the brain. This meant surgery to avoid any recurrence. I had the operation in March 2000 and it was completely successful. But I was very ill after surgery with inflammatory problems and was in hospital until February 2001.

3. How does your illness affect your daily life?
I don't think of myself as being ill any more. It's taken a long time to reach this way of thinking. It's been hard to stand back from the situation and analyse what's happened. Now I see myself as in recovery stage, but recovery is a long and frustrating process. All the carers I've had have helped me a great deal. I'm putting in a lot of work on getting better but the hardest thing is accepting that it needs time as well as work. I'm learning to walk again, I'm using various techniques to improve my short-term memory - with good success, and I'm adapting to some loss of vision. Fatigue is one of the biggest problems, but my stamina has increased enormously, and I've started drumming again in the last month, which at one time I thought I'd never be able to do.

4. Where and how did you hook up with Bill and Jeff, and what are your memories of those early days when Carcass began to develop their own sound?
I met Bill when we were 5 at primary school, and Bill introduced me to Jeff when we were about 15. We would meet in Probe, an infamous Liverpool record store, and listen to the latest Metal releases. It was about that time when we formed Carcass. We practised at Bill's house in the attic. As I recall it was only when we recorded our first demo in Birmingham - Flesh-ripping Sonic Torment - that we gave ourselves a clear direction.

5. Looking back over your time with Carcass, can you define your proudest moment with the band?
There are two experiences I feel particularly proud of - playing LA in front of 1300 people, and the Body Count tour with Ice T in Britain.

6. Why on earth did you choose drums in the first place? Their must have been easier instruments to take up?!
I chose drums because I enjoy the physical nature of drumming.

7. Who were your drumming idols that inspired you to develop your own playing?
Drumming idols were Dean Castronovo and Neil Peart.

8. You toured all over the world with Carcass, where would you say your fondest memory of a gig or indeed whole tour was?
The US tour of 1994 sticks in my mind as enjoyable. It was one of the longest tours we'd ever done, it was well organised and the crowds at gigs came to see us rather than any of the other bands.

9. What was your feeling when Carcass eventually split after 'Swansong' and what were your musical plans (if any) after the demise of Blackstar?
When Carcass split I naturally felt a sense of loss - the band was like a child I'd helped to rear, and as a band we were very close to each other and good friends. After Blackstar I was interested in producing techno and was also developing different drumming styles with a local band in Nottingham.

10. I'm not sure if you are aware what an inspiration you have become to the many Carcass fans around the world, and also to drummers who aim to emulate the Ken Owen style of complexity.....do you find it strange to think that even though Carcass disbanded around '96/'97, that you are still an influence on people to this day?
I'm really surprised when I'm told I'm an inspiration, but it's very satisfying that the effort I put in has encouraged others to play. It's also pleasing to think that the work Carcass did is still having an effect.

11. Are you aware of the tremendous legacy left behind by Carcass and your role in contributing a form of rock history through several landmark albums? It must make you exceptionally proud to know that your contribution to extreme music has a left a lasting influence?
I find it difficult to imagine myself as an "historical figure". I don't usually think about Carcass's influence but I'm proud that we achieved an effect on people. It wasn't easy - we had to struggle - and I'd encourage anyone else to keep going to achieve what they want.

12. What is your life like now? People might be surprised to hear that you still attend gigs for example.......
Since I came out of hospital in 2001 I've stayed with my folks. I'm getting more and more independent but I still need a lot of help, for instance with cooking and transport. As well as my folks, I have carers who come in and help me out, especially to go places and see friends. I'm doing a one morning a week music course, and I attend a young people's group one day a week - specifically for people coping with brain injury. I do most of the physiotherapy work at home now, with just occasional visits to hospital. I do all the usual social things - visiting friends, parties, pubs, gigs, cinema. I'm still adding to my CD collection, and as I mentioned before I've just started drumming again, on Roland V drums. I get away on holiday - I've just come back from Amsterdam, a trip organised by college, and I'm shortly off to Slovenia with my folks. I should add that currently I am rated 48,181st manager in the Football Fantasy League (out of 250,000) - not top-notch, but not bad!

13. The clamour for a Carcass reformation is as high as ever - there are a lot of new fans who perhaps never caught the band live in its heyday. Whilst the chances of any such reformation seem remote, do you feel quitting at the top as you did helped sustain the bands 'legendary' status?
Obviously it's best to go out on a high, and I do think Swansong was a great album. But the band didn't plan to preserve what you call "legendary status" - we just didn't think of ourselves in those terms; it wasn't image that mattered, but the music.

14. Finally - please send a few words to all the Carcass fans who wish you the very best for the future.
I'm really grateful for all the good wishes from fans. Thanks for all the support. My message is - drum to your own beat!

Ken with Napalm Death's Shane Embury at the recent Firebird gig, Nottingham, April 2003