The appropriately titled Swansong was the last album Carcass recorded before their untimely demise. Booted from Columbia Records and unable to get along, the band packed it in last year, ironically after recording the most commercially viable disc of their career. Swansong is a fist-pumping crunch-fest that combines lacerated death metal vocals with mainstream rhythms reminiscent of vintage Megadeth and Iron Maiden. From the witty "Keep On Rotting in the Free World" to the atmospheric "Child"s Play," Carcass have crafted one of the strongest bridges to connect underground metal to the mainland. Too bad they won"t be around to see anyone cross it. --Jon Wiederhorn