Carcass were formed in Liverpool in the mid 80s by guitarist Bill Steer (future member of Napalm Death) and by drummer Ken Owen. In 1987 Steer and Owen were joined by bassist and singer Jeff Walker, an anathomy student who had the cultural background to describe the worst things imaginable.
Their first album, Reek Of Putrefaction (Earache, 1988),is a milestone of the fusion between grindcore and death, a colossal (22 songs) of horror in music. The stink of death stands all over the work, from the disgusting smile of Maggot Colony to the devilish blethering of Vomited Anal Tract, going through Excreted Alive and Malignant Defecation, through a gallery of revolting cries and brutal harmonies. When the slaughter slows down, an appearance of melody and even an instrumental fantasy (Pyosisified) come out from the debris. The epilepsy of Foeticide and the foolish dancing of Feast On Dismembered Carnage are among the most unrestrained orgies.
Dalle ceneri dei Carcass nacquero alcuni gruppi: i Blackstar di Jeff Walker, i Deep Purplish Spiritual Beggar di Michael Arnott e i Firebird di Bill Steer.
Firebird (Rise Above, 2000) e Deluxe (Rise Above, 2001) offrono il classico hard-rock degli anni '70, niente a che vedere con il grindcore dei Carcass.
Mike Ammott andò a formare gli Arch Enemy in Svezia. Pubblicarono degli apprezzati album death metal come Black Earth (1996) e Stigmata (1998) prima di convertirsi al pop-metal con Burning Bridges (1999).
Angela Gossow ha sostituito Johan Axelsson per Wages Of Sin (2001), Anthems of Rebellion (2003), Doomsday Machine (2005), Rise of the Tyrant (2007), che hanno ulteriormente aumentato le dosi di melodia.
I Carcass hanno pubblicato Surgical Steel (2013) dopo 17 anni dal loro ultimo album in studio, ed è stata una fedele ricostruzione del death metal melodico di Necroticism.