To most ears, Swansong wasn’t really any more accessible, let alone mainstream, than Heartwork. But whereas that previous album was greeted with near-universal acclaim, the follow-up somehow garnered Carcass near-constant derision from the very underground scene they help establish. After all, “Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody” slashed and burned with the same scorching Colin Richardson production, blazing fretwork from Bill Steer and Carlo Regadas and bellicose Jeff Walker snarling- aside from Regadas replacing Michael Amott, this could’ve easily fit on Heartwork. The track was certainly far too abrasive to remotely approach the mainstream, for while the riffing was catchy and melodic in its way, the relentlessness of its attack combined with Walker’s violent sneer made it too extreme for the remaining metalheads in the market circa 1996. To be fair, Walker’s lyrics weren’t as consumed with grossing everyone out, but then again, neither were his words on Heartwork. Ultimately, regardless of Swansong’s reputation “Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody” was fundamental to the Carcass legend, doing as much to create what would come to be known as melodic death metal as its more famous counterparts.
