4. Heartwork - Carcass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meeyG7Wa9Uk We touched on melodic death metal with Amon Amarth but to really understand the roots of this definition what better place to look than with Carcass and their phenomenal record, Heartwork. For the uninitiated the best way to approach Carcass as a whole is that the band fall under two categories; their early material pioneered grindcore where as later studio releases pioneered and resemble melodic death metal. However, the one album that is an absolute must-listen is 1993's Heartwork. This album is Carcass at their very best; combining both melody and brutality it makes a truly fantastic listening experience. Riffs and solos swirl and turn in harmony accompanied with the snarls and growls from frontman Jeff Walker. It can often confuse newbies that an album can contain harmony and yet still be incredibly heavy but Heartwork is the prime example of the formula working exceptionally well. Heartwork built the foundations for what melodic death metal is today and for people who want to fall in love with this particular style of death metal, then what better place to start than with the album that started it all!