CARCASS' JEFF WALKER: 'We Seem To Have Somehow Attracted A New Generation Of Younger' Fans

Daniel P. Carter of Scuzz TV conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker and guitarist Bill Steer of British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held August 7-10 at Catton Hall, Walton-On-Trent, West Midlands, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about how the audiences have changed over the years since the band reformed compared to how they were in the early days of CARCASS, Jeff said: "Definitely when we reformed, I thought we were gonna drag all the old-school people out of the woodwork, but we seem to have somehow attracted a new generation of younger people. And that's cool, because we're not pandering to a young audience. We write music for ourselves, and the irony is in we are in our forties. But we're attracting an audience that can connect with what we're doing. So I don't know if that means they're mature, or we're immature, but somewhere we meet in the middle. We're definitely not trying to court a teenager audience, you know."

He added: "I think if you're honest about what you're doing, it shows through. If you're in a fake band who's doing it for ulterior motives, then people are gonna see that. You can't bullshit it, you can't fake it."

Said Bill: "If you make music that is trying to target a specific audience, it's obvious and you just feel it. Within hearing a piece of music in five seconds, you realize that's where they're coming from. But, obviously, as Jeff said, we've never really tried to do that. I mean, we know it'd fail, for start, and secondly, we're not that type of person anyway. So we've been very fortunate with the reaction. But the other thing is, if you're around long enough, whether it's begrdudging or otherwise, you get a certain amount of respect just for having been around that long. So I guess we're enjoying some of that at the moment."

CARCASS will issue a collection of previously unreleased and hard-to-find tracks this November. Titled "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel", all the songs on the EP were recorded during the "Surgical Steel" sessions, which was produced by Colin Richardson (NAPALM DEATH, BOLT THROWER, GOREFEST, CANNIBAL CORPSE, SINISTER, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT).

"Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" will be made available on physical and digital formats on November 11 (North America),November 17 (UK) and November 14 (rest of Europe) via Nuclear Blast.

"Well, let's call this tying up loose ends," commented Jeff Walker.

"We thought we'd make all the tracks available from the 'Surgical Steel' album session on an EP… just in case you bought the jewel case version, didn't buy the digipak, didn't buy the Japanese import, or maybe you never bought the Decibel magazine issue with the flexi disc? Well, here you go; ALL the songs on one disc along with an previously unreleased track. Even Trevor Strnad's arm makes a guest appearance! Enjoy."

"Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" EP (digipak CD) track listing:

01. A Wraith In The Apparatus
02. Intensive Battery Brooding
03. Zochrot
04. Livestock Marketplace
05. 1985 (reprise)

"Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" EP (10-inch black 140-gram gatefold vinyl)

Side A:

01. A Wraith In The Apparatus
02. Intensive Battery Brooding

Side B:

01. Zochrot
02. Livestock Marketplace
03. 1985 (reprise)

"Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" EP (10-inch silver 140-gram gatefold vinyl)

Side A:

01. A Wraith In The Apparatus
02. Intensive Battery Brooding

Side B:

01. Zochrot
02. Livestock Marketplace
03. 1985 (reprise)

CARCASS will return to the United States once again this October/November. Also appearing on the bill are Florida death metal legends OBITUARY and the eclectic champions of "murder metal," MACABRE. Death grinders EXHUMED and newcomers NOISEM will open each night of churning insanity.

Joining Walker and guitarist Bill Steer in CARCASS' current incarnation are drummer Daniel Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 16, 2013 in the U.K., September 13, 2013 in the rest of Europe and September 17, 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records.