Review by Tobias on June 15, 2001.

I'm beginning to think that every album that is absolutely phenomenal takes a few close listens for the listener to even understand that fact.

It happened to me with In Flames' Clayman, Pantera's Vulgar Display, a few Iron Maiden albums, and all Tool. It happened again with Clutch's Pure Rock Fury. As a long time fan of Clutch, I was hoping for no less. Satiation is a wonderful thing.

When I first got the album, I was a little irritated because it felt like there were maybe three good songs, my favorite being probably the heaviest thickest sounding one, Immortal. Of course, despite my disappointment I was infatuated with this song, roaring it out in my head all day long.

Come a few more close listens later, I realized that this album wasn't just riddled with greatness, it was bloody built with the stuff! Mean tracks blasted out by the manliest of men like Open Up The Border, Sinkemlow, and Frankensteinalong with the testosterone injected artistic uniqueness of wild tracks like Drink To The Dead and Red Horse Rainbow that only Clutch can do have me thoroughly pumped with… well, not to be a dork but… Pure Rock Fury.

Tim Sult, the crunching six-stringer for Clutch, isn't just a guitarist, he's a major part of the music's backbone. With Jean Paul Gaster gleefully beating precision mindedly on his thunder-pots and Dan Maines thumping his bass strings with a paradoxical finesse that should be a French food, Tim Sult is the utter completion of this musical trinity. The man with the wheel, Neil Fallon, who sports balls big enough to take on Phil Anselmo, is driving this ride with muscle-bound passion.

I'd like to take a moment to let you all know that I've decided there should be a law that every bar in the world should play Drink To The Dead at midnight, and everyone must have a full stein in hand while singing along with happy drunken tears for their lost ones. Make it so.

Call it what you like, stoner metal, space metal, stoner rock, big ass guitar music, but the fact here is you've never heard anything like it and it will rock the living daylights out of ya. Although Elephant Riders is probably the perfect starters album for Clutch, and as outstanding as it was, there is something a little more advanced… and perhaps more insane about Pure Rock Fury.

Bottom Line: This album… this band, will rock your bones to dust.They might even revive you just to do it again. This is genius in its most masculine form.

Rating: 10 of 10

Review by Tobias on June 15, 2001.

I'm beginning to think that every album that is absolutely phenomenal takes a few close listens for the listener to even understand that fact.

It happened to me with In Flames' Clayman, Pantera's Vulgar Display, a few Iron Maiden albums, and all Tool. It happened again with Clutch's Pure Rock Fury. As a long time fan of Clutch, I was hoping for no less. Satiation is a wonderful thing.

When I first got the album, I was a little irritated because it felt like there were maybe three good songs, my favorite being probably the heaviest thickest sounding one, Immortal. Of course, despite my disappointment I was infatuated with this song, roaring it out in my head all day long.

Come a few more close listens later, I realized that this album wasn't just riddled with greatness, it was bloody built with the stuff! Mean tracks blasted out by the manliest of men like Open Up The Border, Sinkemlow, and Frankensteinalong with the testosterone injected artistic uniqueness of wild tracks like Drink To The Dead and Red Horse Rainbow that only Clutch can do have me thoroughly pumped with… well, not to be a dork but… Pure Rock Fury.

Tim Sult, the crunching six-stringer for Clutch, isn't just a guitarist, he's a major part of the music's backbone. With Jean Paul Gaster gleefully beating precision mindedly on his thunder-pots and Dan Maines thumping his bass strings with a paradoxical finesse that should be a French food, Tim Sult is the utter completion of this musical trinity. The man with the wheel, Neil Fallon, who sports balls big enough to take on Phil Anselmo, is driving this ride with muscle-bound passion.

I'd like to take a moment to let you all know that I've decided there should be a law that every bar in the world should play Drink To The Dead at midnight, and everyone must have a full stein in hand while singing along with happy drunken tears for their lost ones. Make it so.

Call it what you like, stoner metal, space metal, stoner rock, big ass guitar music, but the fact here is you've never heard anything like it and it will rock the living daylights out of ya. Although Elephant Riders is probably the perfect starters album for Clutch, and as outstanding as it was, there is something a little more advanced… and perhaps more insane about Pure Rock Fury.

Bottom Line: This album… this band, will rock your bones to dust.They might even revive you just to do it again. This is genius in its most masculine form.

Rating: 10 of 10

Review by Jeger on May 29, 2025.

Carcass' Jeff Walker once expressed the notion that much of the death metal that was released in the late '80's - early '90's was "dumb" and "cartoonish". And while he may have hit the nail on the head, I didn't happen to think so. I bought into it at a young age and allowed it to move me in much the same way as Faces of Death is moving in its own gruesome way. I was taken aback by Vince Locke's artwork for Cannibal Corpse. As an avid comic collector, it felt surreal to see such gruesome images drawn out in comic form, and the sound… Repelled by it and drawn to it at the same time.

In 1991, Carcass went out of their way to shock people with the release of their third LP, Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious: murder, disposal and forensic biology. An entire death metal album dedicated to the ingenuity of corpse disposal. It was as if Carcass' name was called and it was their turn to write a legendary death metal record (a traditional one with more than a few bloody twists to stoke up the imagination) because none of their albums sound like this one. Then in 1993, Carcass traded in their implements of murder and weird medical dictionary song titles for their big boy pants. On that year, Heartwork was released via Earache / Columbia Records.

I'm not sure if it's just the natural order of things, or if it's something that a band sets out to accomplish, and that thing is perfection; that "Master of Puppets", "Peace Sells" and "Reign In Blood" fucking album that everyone admires or at the very least respects. You could compare Carcass' career trajectory to that of Metallica: a progression into that perfect album, questionable releases following and a late revival of the good old days shit in the form of a couple of stock metal albums that herald the heyday in spirit, but that's about it. For Carcass, their "Master of Puppets" is Heartwork.

Maybe it was the reality of getting distributed by a major label in the US that did it? Tends to bring the very best or the very worst in a band. Carcass just does it up so pro-like, from the album's sharp/crisp tones to the genuine sculpture album cover art, all the way down to the epic of the songwriting, an elite affair. Heartwork has been cited as one of the original melodic death metal albums alongside shit by bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility and At the Gates, but I'm not buying it. Just a fucking death metal album that happens to be somewhat melodic. Way ahead of its time is what it is. Stuff that other bands don't wanna listen to, because they know it will make them sound like Jerry's Kids.

There's literally a bit of everything on Heartwork; a feast of flesh for the fiend, served up in the form of speed/aggression one moment, followed by some soulful leads the next and then into… a pile driver! That's right my friends, it's a pile driver… (Tommy Boy). Jackhammering chugs set to wet snapping beats, evenly composed, easy to anticipate but not boring and enough melody to get people thinking. Every track is memorable for obvious reasons, like everyone recognizes the opening riff to "This Mortal Coil" and that's the way it should be. It's what everyone is fucking looking for! So, that's what Carcass bring all day. Sometimes you just gotta give it to 'em I guess. Let the ole boys eat…

Carcass has gone on to release a few questionable albums since the Heartwork era. I do fucking hate the current state of most of the bands I grew up listening to and I'd be lying if I said that I think Carcass have anything left in their creative reserves. A once-so-innovative and sharp death metal band just trying over and over these days to capture some more of that familiar glory. Make another gore-grind album! Revisit Necroticism, just do something fucking different. One of the greatest death metal albums ever made 2.0 is not a thing. But Heartwork is, and it is that fucking album, man - prime time - doing the bull dance, feeling the flow, working it, working it… (Happy Gilmore). Give it the worship it deserves! One of the greatest of the era, of all time! And still no stopping it. Why would you want to? Let's rot…

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Allan on May 6, 2002.

And Bill Steer and Ken Owen said, “Let there be Carcass!” Ok, maybe it didn’t exactly happen like that, but it sure as hell should have. I don’t think you can really deny the greatness of Carcass. Sure you can dislike the band, but come on... they’re great! “Heartwork” is a legendary album, and Carcass is a standout act. It’s a continuing step in the bands evolution, while they further distance themselves from their grind roots.

So the band decided to add Michael Amott to the lineup after “Symphonies of Sickness”. Then, the band released “Necroticsm: Descanting the Insalubrious”. Amott’s guitar playing gave the band a new flavor, and “Necroticsm” was a pretty darn good album. But then “Heartwork” came around, and it whooped the entire scenes ass.

With pseudo-grind rhythms hinting at their early days and melodic rock/bluesy guitar to accompany it, this is one amazing album. Bill Steer and Michael Amott are one of the very best guitar duos of their day, stressing a high amount of talent while not sacrificing anything to show of a technical skill ego. Their often technical leads, solos, etc. are tasteful, not obnoxious. Drummer Ken Owen is one of the best single-foot drummers of the scene. Again, tasteful is the word here. Not in the mindset of fitting into any certain category, he doesn’t feel the need to do constant double bass nor constantly perform blast beats. Then there is Jeff Walker on vocals. Definitely a great thing – his death vocals with a black metal rasp approach make him a few different things. He’s a great addition to the band and a unique vocalist. One of the best line-ups of the early 1990’s, not only could these guys play, they could write.

Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of melodic metal of any kind, this is nearly mandatory. Simply put, this album is amazing.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Jeger on May 29, 2025.

Carcass' Jeff Walker once expressed the notion that much of the death metal that was released in the late '80's - early '90's was "dumb" and "cartoonish". And while he may have hit the nail on the head, I didn't happen to think so. I bought into it at a young age and allowed it to move me in much the same way as Faces of Death is moving in its own gruesome way. I was taken aback by Vince Locke's artwork for Cannibal Corpse. As an avid comic collector, it felt surreal to see such gruesome images drawn out in comic form, and the sound… Repelled by it and drawn to it at the same time.

In 1991, Carcass went out of their way to shock people with the release of their third LP, Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious: murder, disposal and forensic biology. An entire death metal album dedicated to the ingenuity of corpse disposal. It was as if Carcass' name was called and it was their turn to write a legendary death metal record (a traditional one with more than a few bloody twists to stoke up the imagination) because none of their albums sound like this one. Then in 1993, Carcass traded in their implements of murder and weird medical dictionary song titles for their big boy pants. On that year, Heartwork was released via Earache / Columbia Records.

I'm not sure if it's just the natural order of things, or if it's something that a band sets out to accomplish, and that thing is perfection; that "Master of Puppets", "Peace Sells" and "Reign In Blood" fucking album that everyone admires or at the very least respects. You could compare Carcass' career trajectory to that of Metallica: a progression into that perfect album, questionable releases following and a late revival of the good old days shit in the form of a couple of stock metal albums that herald the heyday in spirit, but that's about it. For Carcass, their "Master of Puppets" is Heartwork.

Maybe it was the reality of getting distributed by a major label in the US that did it? Tends to bring the very best or the very worst in a band. Carcass just does it up so pro-like, from the album's sharp/crisp tones to the genuine sculpture album cover art, all the way down to the epic of the songwriting, an elite affair. Heartwork has been cited as one of the original melodic death metal albums alongside shit by bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility and At the Gates, but I'm not buying it. Just a fucking death metal album that happens to be somewhat melodic. Way ahead of its time is what it is. Stuff that other bands don't wanna listen to, because they know it will make them sound like Jerry's Kids.

There's literally a bit of everything on Heartwork; a feast of flesh for the fiend, served up in the form of speed/aggression one moment, followed by some soulful leads the next and then into… a pile driver! That's right my friends, it's a pile driver… (Tommy Boy). Jackhammering chugs set to wet snapping beats, evenly composed, easy to anticipate but not boring and enough melody to get people thinking. Every track is memorable for obvious reasons, like everyone recognizes the opening riff to "This Mortal Coil" and that's the way it should be. It's what everyone is fucking looking for! So, that's what Carcass bring all day. Sometimes you just gotta give it to 'em I guess. Let the ole boys eat…

Carcass has gone on to release a few questionable albums since the Heartwork era. I do fucking hate the current state of most of the bands I grew up listening to and I'd be lying if I said that I think Carcass have anything left in their creative reserves. A once-so-innovative and sharp death metal band just trying over and over these days to capture some more of that familiar glory. Make another gore-grind album! Revisit Necroticism, just do something fucking different. One of the greatest death metal albums ever made 2.0 is not a thing. But Heartwork is, and it is that fucking album, man - prime time - doing the bull dance, feeling the flow, working it, working it… (Happy Gilmore). Give it the worship it deserves! One of the greatest of the era, of all time! And still no stopping it. Why would you want to? Let's rot…

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Allan on May 6, 2002.

And Bill Steer and Ken Owen said, “Let there be Carcass!” Ok, maybe it didn’t exactly happen like that, but it sure as hell should have. I don’t think you can really deny the greatness of Carcass. Sure you can dislike the band, but come on... they’re great! “Heartwork” is a legendary album, and Carcass is a standout act. It’s a continuing step in the bands evolution, while they further distance themselves from their grind roots.

So the band decided to add Michael Amott to the lineup after “Symphonies of Sickness”. Then, the band released “Necroticsm: Descanting the Insalubrious”. Amott’s guitar playing gave the band a new flavor, and “Necroticsm” was a pretty darn good album. But then “Heartwork” came around, and it whooped the entire scenes ass.

With pseudo-grind rhythms hinting at their early days and melodic rock/bluesy guitar to accompany it, this is one amazing album. Bill Steer and Michael Amott are one of the very best guitar duos of their day, stressing a high amount of talent while not sacrificing anything to show of a technical skill ego. Their often technical leads, solos, etc. are tasteful, not obnoxious. Drummer Ken Owen is one of the best single-foot drummers of the scene. Again, tasteful is the word here. Not in the mindset of fitting into any certain category, he doesn’t feel the need to do constant double bass nor constantly perform blast beats. Then there is Jeff Walker on vocals. Definitely a great thing – his death vocals with a black metal rasp approach make him a few different things. He’s a great addition to the band and a unique vocalist. One of the best line-ups of the early 1990’s, not only could these guys play, they could write.

Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of melodic metal of any kind, this is nearly mandatory. Simply put, this album is amazing.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Jeger on May 29, 2025.

Carcass' Jeff Walker once expressed the notion that much of the death metal that was released in the late '80's - early '90's was "dumb" and "cartoonish". And while he may have hit the nail on the head, I didn't happen to think so. I bought into it at a young age and allowed it to move me in much the same way as Faces of Death is moving in its own gruesome way. I was taken aback by Vince Locke's artwork for Cannibal Corpse. As an avid comic collector, it felt surreal to see such gruesome images drawn out in comic form, and the sound… Repelled by it and drawn to it at the same time.

In 1991, Carcass went out of their way to shock people with the release of their third LP, Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious: murder, disposal and forensic biology. An entire death metal album dedicated to the ingenuity of corpse disposal. It was as if Carcass' name was called and it was their turn to write a legendary death metal record (a traditional one with more than a few bloody twists to stoke up the imagination) because none of their albums sound like this one. Then in 1993, Carcass traded in their implements of murder and weird medical dictionary song titles for their big boy pants. On that year, Heartwork was released via Earache / Columbia Records.

I'm not sure if it's just the natural order of things, or if it's something that a band sets out to accomplish, and that thing is perfection; that "Master of Puppets", "Peace Sells" and "Reign In Blood" fucking album that everyone admires or at the very least respects. You could compare Carcass' career trajectory to that of Metallica: a progression into that perfect album, questionable releases following and a late revival of the good old days shit in the form of a couple of stock metal albums that herald the heyday in spirit, but that's about it. For Carcass, their "Master of Puppets" is Heartwork.

Maybe it was the reality of getting distributed by a major label in the US that did it? Tends to bring the very best or the very worst in a band. Carcass just does it up so pro-like, from the album's sharp/crisp tones to the genuine sculpture album cover art, all the way down to the epic of the songwriting, an elite affair. Heartwork has been cited as one of the original melodic death metal albums alongside shit by bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility and At the Gates, but I'm not buying it. Just a fucking death metal album that happens to be somewhat melodic. Way ahead of its time is what it is. Stuff that other bands don't wanna listen to, because they know it will make them sound like Jerry's Kids.

There's literally a bit of everything on Heartwork; a feast of flesh for the fiend, served up in the form of speed/aggression one moment, followed by some soulful leads the next and then into… a pile driver! That's right my friends, it's a pile driver… (Tommy Boy). Jackhammering chugs set to wet snapping beats, evenly composed, easy to anticipate but not boring and enough melody to get people thinking. Every track is memorable for obvious reasons, like everyone recognizes the opening riff to "This Mortal Coil" and that's the way it should be. It's what everyone is fucking looking for! So, that's what Carcass bring all day. Sometimes you just gotta give it to 'em I guess. Let the ole boys eat…

Carcass has gone on to release a few questionable albums since the Heartwork era. I do fucking hate the current state of most of the bands I grew up listening to and I'd be lying if I said that I think Carcass have anything left in their creative reserves. A once-so-innovative and sharp death metal band just trying over and over these days to capture some more of that familiar glory. Make another gore-grind album! Revisit Necroticism, just do something fucking different. One of the greatest death metal albums ever made 2.0 is not a thing. But Heartwork is, and it is that fucking album, man - prime time - doing the bull dance, feeling the flow, working it, working it… (Happy Gilmore). Give it the worship it deserves! One of the greatest of the era, of all time! And still no stopping it. Why would you want to? Let's rot…

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Allan on May 6, 2002.

And Bill Steer and Ken Owen said, “Let there be Carcass!” Ok, maybe it didn’t exactly happen like that, but it sure as hell should have. I don’t think you can really deny the greatness of Carcass. Sure you can dislike the band, but come on... they’re great! “Heartwork” is a legendary album, and Carcass is a standout act. It’s a continuing step in the bands evolution, while they further distance themselves from their grind roots.

So the band decided to add Michael Amott to the lineup after “Symphonies of Sickness”. Then, the band released “Necroticsm: Descanting the Insalubrious”. Amott’s guitar playing gave the band a new flavor, and “Necroticsm” was a pretty darn good album. But then “Heartwork” came around, and it whooped the entire scenes ass.

With pseudo-grind rhythms hinting at their early days and melodic rock/bluesy guitar to accompany it, this is one amazing album. Bill Steer and Michael Amott are one of the very best guitar duos of their day, stressing a high amount of talent while not sacrificing anything to show of a technical skill ego. Their often technical leads, solos, etc. are tasteful, not obnoxious. Drummer Ken Owen is one of the best single-foot drummers of the scene. Again, tasteful is the word here. Not in the mindset of fitting into any certain category, he doesn’t feel the need to do constant double bass nor constantly perform blast beats. Then there is Jeff Walker on vocals. Definitely a great thing – his death vocals with a black metal rasp approach make him a few different things. He’s a great addition to the band and a unique vocalist. One of the best line-ups of the early 1990’s, not only could these guys play, they could write.

Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of melodic metal of any kind, this is nearly mandatory. Simply put, this album is amazing.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10