Swansong (album)

Swansong is the fifth studio album by English extreme metal band Carcass, released on 10 June 1996 by Earache Records.<ref name="utopianblasterswansong" /> It marks a musical shift for the band, moving into a death 'n' roll direction.<ref name="decibelrev" /> It is the only Carcass album to feature guitarist Carlo Regadas, and the last to feature founding member Ken Owen on drums. The album received mixed reviews from critics.

Swansong was intended to be the band's major label debut, having been signed by Columbia Records following the success of Heartwork, but disputes with that record company caused them to return to Earache. The album was re-released on 21 July 2008, as a dualdisc including the fifth part of The Pathologist's Report. It was the band's last studio release for over 17 years, until the release of Surgical Steel in 2013.

Background

In The Pathologist's Report, drummer Ken Owen states that he considers Swansong the ultimate Carcass album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band's sense of humour is illustrated with titles such as "Keep on Rotting in the Free World".<ref name="allmusicrev" />

The disc art is the "Unfinished Pyramid et al." from the Great Seal of the United States, but it reads "carcass" instead of "annuit coeptis", "somnus pecunia cibus" instead of "novus ordo seclorum" and "MCMXCV" instead of "MDCCLXXVI".

Release

Swansong was released on 10 June 1996 on Earache Records. A limited edition was released as a brain-shaped CD, with a bonus two-track CD titled Somnus Pecunia Cibus.<ref name="earacheswansong">Template:Cite web</ref> The reason for the bonus disc was to include "Go to Hell", which would not fit on the brain-shaped CD due to the cutting required for the shape.

On 21 July 2008, a twelve-panel digipak version of the album was released, with full artwork and lyrics as well as a limited edition sticker sheet with classic Carcass motifs. The reissue also features the previously Japanese-only track "Death Rider Da" which was made to be used as a jingle on a Japanese critic Masa Ito's radio program at the time, as well as the fifth and final part of the extensive interview The Pathologist's Report on a dualdisc. Later editions contain the album on a CD and the documentary on a separate DVD, and do not include the sticker sheet.

In November 2013, Earache rereleased Swansong on full dynamic range vinyl in different colours and with limited circulation.<ref name="metalrulesrerel2013">Template:Cite news</ref>

Personnel

Carcass

• Jeffrey Walker – bass, vocals
• Carlo Regadas – guitar
• Bill Steer – guitar
• Ken Owen – drums

Technical personnel

• Colin Richardson – production, vocals (track 13)
• Nick Brine – assistant engineering
• Jim Brumby – assistant engineering
• Gee – painting
• Stephen Harris – engineering
• Barney Herbert – assistant engineering
• Noel Summerville – mastering
• Antz – Design
• Rosalba Picerno – band photos

Charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (1996)	Peak position