Blackstar is not bad, but the main songwriter Bill Steer was missing. It's about as good as Swansong, which I think didn't involve Steer as much either.
Symphonies was a major album for me. My first copy of it actually had spit on it, as Chris McKenzie (the vocalist for a local thrash band) had thrown it out to the crowd in disgust in 1989 after he first heard it, and I caught it. I then went and got a proper copy of it after getting sick of listening to the pop everytime the needle encountered some of Chris's spit in a groove. So I have him and Carcass to thank for getting me into Napalm Death and grindcore (Steer was in Napalm Death in '87-89).
Necroticism I didn't like as much, and I didn't like Reek quite as much either, although it has some great songs. The thing that freaked me out with Heartwork (besides the changes to the guitar sound and soloing) was the footage of Jeff Walker with straight flowing long hair. I have no idea how he got those dreads out, which he had since his days in the Electro Hippies, but they should have done an advert for Pantene with a before and after :lol:
