Carcass Reek of Putrification
by Matthew Hoffman
Staff Writer
Carcass’s debut album Reek of Putrification has been re-released by the bands ultra aggressive longtime label Earache Records. It comes with a bonus DVD as well as the bands long sought after Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment demo. The re-issue comes in a packaged in a white “medical” bag, with cautionary warnings on the cover. It includes part 1 of the mini-documentary series entitled “The Pathologist’s Report” on the DVD side. The documentary sees the “boys” discuss the origins of the band through detailing several interesting stories.
This album was the death metal bands pioneering effort that introduced the world to the grind-gore sub-genre. This new genre featured medical/autopsy and animal slaughter based lyrics that put them on the extreme of the “vegan” vegetarian culture. Songs titles like “Genital Grinder,” “Maggot Colony” and “Vomited Anal Tract” show the depth of the gore discussed on this album.
The original “gore” cover, which featured extraordinarily disturbing images of dead humans (including children) similar to those found in biology books was eventually banned and replaced by a “clean” cover. This was the case for more than 15 years, until 2003 when the “true” cover was returned.
The music itself is very interesting and seems to resemble techno “club” music with awesome sounding beats mixed with insane distorted guitar licks. Much of the guitar work of legendary Bill Steer is wonderful but mixed into the background of the torturous (animal slaughter sounding) malaise. Steers guitar work often sounds like a beast getting extremely worked up with wails and screeches with terrific runs down the fret board at all the right times.
The music is certainly not for everyone and is rather unusual at times but is an awesome revelation of the legendary band’s early identity.
After this release the band wound eventually round itself into a guitar heavy, melodic death metal machine by adding a second guitarist in Michael Amott (Arch Enemy). Their work together on the release of Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious is one of the best tandem guitar albums in the history of modern civilization.
This release is essential for the throng of Carcass fanatics across the globe and will really help people to understand how the grind-core genre came to be.
Pick one up a.s.a.p but be warned the pictures and lyrics are spectacularly graphic vivid and vile.
Band Members
Jeff Walker: Bass/Vocals
Bill Steer: Guitar/Vocals
Ken Owen: Drums/Vocals
Track Listing
CD Reek Of Putrefaction
1. Genital Grinder
2. Regurgitation Of Giblets
3. Maggot Colony
4. Pyosisified (Rotten To The Gore)
5. Carbonized Eyesockets
6. Frenzied Detruncation
7. Vomited Anal Tract
8 Festerday
9 Fermenting Innards
10 Excreted Alive
11 Suppuration
12 Foeticide
13 Microwaved Uterogestation
14 Feast On Dismembered Carnage
15 Splattered Cavities
16 Psychopathologist
17 Burnt To A Crisp
18 Pungent Excruciation
19 Manifestation Of Verrucose Urethra
20 Oxidised Razor Masticator
21 Mucopurulence Excretor
22 Malignant Defecation
Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Demo
23 Genital Grinder (Intro)
24 Regurgitation Of Giblets
25 Festerday
26 Limb From Limb
27 Rotten To The Gore
28 Excreted Alive
29 Malignant Defecation
30 Fermenting Innards
31 Necro-Cannibal Bloodfeast
32 Psychopathologist
33 Die In Pain
34 Pungent Excruciation
35 Face Meltaaargh
DVD
The Pathologist’s Report Part 1 – Incubation
1 A Meeting Of Minds
2 Rehearsals Begin
3 The Original Line Up
4 What Inspired The Gore?
5 Police Raids Over Artwork
6 The First Album
7 How Were Carcass Different?
8 Bill’s Involvement With Napalm
9 Grindcore? Hardcore? Death Metal? Punk?
10 John Peel’s Support
HRH Rating: 8/10