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When Heartwork was released in 1993, it ushered in a new sound that would eventually become known as melodic death metal. At the time, though, people didn’t know what to think of it and they certainly didn’t know how to classify it — they only knew they liked it. Heartwork featured a collection of catchy and grooving riffs, memorable melodic leads, and even strong choruses. These facets combined with a pristine production, surprising accessibility, and the major label support of Columbia Records put Carcass into heavy rotation on national radio and even Mtv’s Headbanger’s Ball. Of course, Heartwork wasn’t the only album released in 1993 to eventually be highlighted as part of melodic death metal’s origin, but it was certainly the highest profile. It was Heartwork that earned the band tour offers with the like of Iron Maiden, and the chance to remix bands as diverse as Die Krupps and Bjork. Unfortunately, this was around the time metal ended up becoming a ‘bad word’ and the band eventually had to move back to their original label, Earache Records. For a brief few years, though, Carcass was backed by a major label with a song that featured regular rotation on Mtv’s Headbanger’s Ball and radio stations across the country — and the album, Heartwork, ended up being one of the original releases of the melodic death metal genre.
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