Marko Syrjälä of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with former CARCASS frontman Jeff Walker. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal-Rules.com: So you are in touch with your old CARCASS bandmates?

Jeff: Yeah, I mean Bill [Steer, guitar] and I still text each other, still see each other once in a while. Whenever I'm in London I'll ring him up. I just saw Mike [Amott, guitar] yesterday — it's a small world, you know? That's why I'm here — I'm a stupid ARCH ENEMY fan who travelled across Europe.

Metal-Rules.com: Ken [Owen, drums] fell in quite sick after the CARCASS years. I can't help asking what's up with him nowadays, how is he doing?

Jeff: He had a brain hemorhage, and went into a coma. He nearly died. He came out of the coma, and they operated again, and the operation really put his rehabilitation back a bit. He lives in a village in Nottingham, going to music college, learning programming. He's fine. It's weird because people will say 'how's Ken?' and it's like the guy was in a coma, it's almost like he's had a stroke. If you've had relatives who've had a stroke, you know it really affects their motor skills. He's fine — he's physically able to walk and all that, but he could never do blast beats again, I don't think so. But he's been drumming again, and he just jams with some blues band on an open night. Maybe he can just do 4/4 beats or something. Of course I know what Mike Amott and what Bill's doing, so….

Metal-Rules.com: As for the CARCASS reunion, hmmm is there any chance to see you guys on the stage, it has been written and speculated quite a lot about the comeback?!

Jeff: Mike Amott really wants to do it. I spoke to him on the phone to the other week, and he wants to get Bill to Sweden to convince him to do it. If those two guys wanna do it, then I'll do it. Ken can't do it. I asked him last year that if we did it, would he be upset, and he's like 'no, do it, go for it.' I was at Download last year, and all these bands were playing, all these American bands, and they were all like AT THE GATES/CARCASS/PARADISE LOST rip-off bands. I just thought 'fuck, this is so easy. We could do it so much better.' I was really enthusiastic about doing it. I was on the stage with H.I.M. playing, watching them play to 60,000 people — we never did that. It would be great to be playing to that kind of audience. I've been doing so much stuff since then that I don't need to do it to make myself happy.

Metal-Rules.com: Do you think it is possible for you guys to do anymore as you haven't anything together for about 10 years?!

Jeff: We weren't a very good band anyway. I can still do those vocals at the drop of a hat. I'd have to try and remember all the bass lines. The problem is Bill's lost interest — he hasn't played like that for a long time. so he would have to retrain himself. But if anyone can, he can, because he's such an intelligent guy. If he was here, he would say 'never say never'. At the moment it Mike's pushing Bill, because he really wants to do it. He's always joked about doing it, and I was always like 'fuck off — no way!' Then he's talking it's like 'maybe next year.' It's not my decision. If Bill does it then I'll do it.

Metal-Rules.com: What do you think about it personally, would you like to do it?

Jeff: Yeah, but I'm not like really desperate. I don't need the money, and I don't need to satisfy my ego.

Metal-Rules.com: Well I don't mean the money, I mean the musical wise?

Jeff: I come and go. The other day I was in England, staying at my friend's place looking at the rock magazines, and I was like 'fuck, I don't want to do this — it's depressing.' Of course, it would be great to prove to everyone, and it would be great to all the people that never saw us, and it would be great to raise some money and give Ken a cut of it. That's the other reason I wanted to do it — I wanted to reform the band, because after talking to some agents, they talk stupid money, and it would be great to give Ken a percentage of it to help him out. There's real positive reasons for doing it, not to reform like some of these fucking bands do, just to earn money. I've got something to prove. We never did these festivals — we never played to these massive crowds, and everyone still bangs on about fucking CARCASS. If I said I don't want to do it, then it makes me look like an asshole because I've met so many people who want to see it, and it's like I'm a cunt if I say no. It's like depriving these people, being selfish.

Metal-Rules.com: Is it possible for you to make a new CARCASS album then?!

Jeff: No fucking way, no.

Metal-Rules.com: As Ken is not able to, who is gonna replace him then?

Jeff: I know a few drummers who could do it.

Metal-Rules.com: C'mon, bring some names?

Jeff: Oh come on — this is just for Blabbermouth, isn't it? I can think of one drummer who just left his bands, and he was always hassling me because he wanted to play. That's as much as I'll say. Just think of any drummers who've just quit.

Metal-Rules.com: Well if the reunion happens, when would you think it could happen then?!

Jeff: If it's gonna happen, it'll happen next year. If it doesn't happen next year, then forget about it.

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yup, very cool

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This rumor pops up every few years, every few years he toys with the idea, but it never comes to fruition. Its a shame too, Id love to see it

ever see a picture of ken owen? hes the most british looking guy ever, its hilarious

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Ken Owen looks like Moe from The Three Stooges

They should just do a one off benefit gig with all dosh going to Ken, bit like Maiden do for Clive Burr.
It would be cool for Carcass to rip out those tunes again, I was very lucky and got to see them play live in 1990 in a very small club and they were incredible

But as has been mentioned before, this rumour trots out every time there is a 'r' in the month. I'm aware that Bill is the only one reluctant to say yes.

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Make a new album, fuckers.



PLEASE...

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if it happens, fucking great! and if not, the memory remains preserved just fine. but please, no new album. i would like to hear what kind of stuff ken owen is creating.. i thought i read that he was into industrial. mick harris, after all, went on to a successful (well, not financially but..) career in ambient dub industrial ..whatever, fuck it, not gonna do the genre dance. love those albums, though.

EDIT: davie, thanks for posting this! i love carcass ..obviously.

Make a new album but please don't do another Swansong. I think they should do Necroticism Part II or something.

Jeff is also guest appearing on the new Aborted album.

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i would rather see them get back together for some shows than make a new album.

Then we have that whole Atheist thing going on.

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atheist are making a new album , and the stuff under "gnostic" doesnt count

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As much as I love CARCASS, I don't think it will happen, and if it does I pray that they just tour a bit and they don't make a new album since William G.[od] Steer has been doing something completely different for the last 8 years or so.

That would kick asssssss. I did enjoy Heartwork too though, and I certainly wouldnt mind a return to even their melodic form. Sure, it would be melodeath, but nobody did melodic death metal better than Carcass did on Heartwork

But none of that Swansong stuff :/

comparing heartwork and necroticism is like apples to oranges, so please no necroticism snobbery. as for swansong, how could they ever progress beyond heartwork when they had already achieved the pinnacle of that newer sound in just one album?? anything subsequent to heartwork was doomed to fall short, so they tried something even different. i still like swansong, but i think it gets dumped on more than it deserves.

What the hell genre was Swansong anyways? I know they called it "rot n roll", but thats not really too desriptive of anything. It definitely wasnt melodeath, not in my ears. Alternative, I suppose? Was it even metal?

I like swansong as well. Very much. It's like Metallica and the black album. Yea it wasn't ride the lightning, or master of puppets, but it was still good. I listened to swan song last night and I think those songs are solid as fuck. Thrashy, heavy, melodic... isn't that what all Carcass is? No it's maybe not as abrasive or dark as previous albums, but you have to admit the music still rocks!

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yeah, plus i also forgot about those extra new tracks that came out on Wake Up and Smell... those were pretty good, arguably better than the Swansong tracks. Emotional Flatline was probably my favorite.

If Carcass gets back together, they will just be another Carcass-clone.

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I'm not saying that Swansong was bad but I wouldn't want them to just do another album like that. I think Necroticism is the best work. I mean all the gore hounds loved it and all the melodeath guys loved it. So why not try to make a new album in the similar vein. Even throw a few Symphonies style tracks but bring the focuss back on gore and still keep that melody they had on Necroticism and even Heartwork.

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Jeff says in the interview there's no way there would be another Carcass record - fine by me.
I think it'd be awesome enough if they just toured and played the good ol' classics.
I just hope they'd come to the U.S. if a reunion tour was mapped out.

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If CARCASS made another record it probably wouldn't be too different from Jeff Walker's solo

Agreed 100%.