for my first cd review, i was skimming through the reviews archive, and i saw that there were no carcass reviews yet, so i was inspired to make one...here you go, have fun.
Carcass-Necroticism-descanting the Insalubrious (1992, Earache)
the carcass lineup for this album:
Jeff Walker-vocals/bass
Bill Steer-guitar/vocals
Michael Amott-guitar
Ken Owens-drums
a little carcass history for you...
carcass was easily one of the most influental and best grindcore/death bands to come out of the NWOBHM movement in the mid-eighties. they formed in Liverpool England, 1985 when guitarist Bill Steer left another one of the first grindcore bands, napalm death, to do a project of his own. He joined with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker and drummer Ken Owens to make carcass. Their first album, Reek Of Putrefaction, released in 1988, was one of the first "goregrind" albums ever created, mixing hyperfast drums with grinding guitars and gore soaked lyrics, short blasts of fury, normally under a minute and a half. Then on Symphonies of Sickness they kept the goregrind theme and style, but extended their boundaries, making the songs longer and more complex. On their third effort, the last of the carcass goregrind cd's, Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious, they extended even further with thier goregrind, this time even touching on some what was to be melodic death. they were one of the first to open most songs with a sample or some sort of ear candy. This was and still is their most progressive and complex release, due some of the part to the addition of guitarist Michael Amott. This gave Steer a lot more to work with, with soloing and layered guitar work. After this album, in 1993, they went on to release Heartwork, a more polished up but still death album, one of the first melodic death albums ever created. After that, they released Swansong, a more plain old death cd with more political lyrics. Following the departure of Amott (who would join arch enemy), carcass split up. A collection of greatest hits and remastered cds were released afterward, but thats about it.
now for the track by track review
1. Inpropagation (7:11)
this song has a heavy clunking noise intro (possibly a bass guitar?) with a woman speaking over it about corpses and identifying their identity and cause of death. Then it kicks in with everything at once-a superfast drumroll pattern, palm muted guitar riffs, with the bass chugging away. It then moves into a faster verse type section, and the vocals start. Excellent vocal work on not just this track but the whole album by Jeff Walker.the vocals are destined to send young children and the elderly to the hills. It breaks into a slower section, with Bill playing a nice melodic lead over the chord prgression. It has tons of great riffs and leads in this song, it would take forever to talk about them all. The drums, guitars, vocals, bass-everything fits perfectly into place with this song. It really has no downfall of any sort. At 7:11 its a long song, but there isn't a moment where i was bored. Good solo on this song, and the drumming is simply amazing. 5/5
2. Corporal Jigsore Quandry (5:52)
This is one of my all time favorite metal songs ever written. It's easily one of the highlights of the album, with the intro of people talking (as usual), only with no backround noise this time. It then has this amazingly catchy drum beat breaking the musical silence, followed by one of the best metal riffs ever. It is so heavy and just grabs you by the throat and makes you listen. It has a great string off riffing and the lyrics are great too. this is one of those songs that are so great, its hard to describe. everytime i pick up this album, i have to listen to this track at least 2 or 3 times. its that good. i love the soloing off this track, the one palm mutes and builds up-its just great. once again, everything is in it's place and fits perfectly. one of the best written and performed metal songs ever. 5/5
3. Symposium Of Sickness (7:00)
this track starts with another voiceover, a pretty cool one actually "the latter day saints of our time accuse me of curropting makind and people, which i only wish i had the power to do. prepare to die". then it busts into a slower riff, very heavy, followed by blastbeat drums, that don't really fit the riff. Once the verse starts however, it gets better. The drums flow very well with the song after the intro, and they have great leads and breakdowns and another awesome solo from steer on this track. It's much more reminicent of their straight up grindcore days, in terms of guitar and drum blastbeats. Another good track, long but never loses focus, but not as memorable as others. 3.5/5
4. Pedigree Butchery (5:20)
another highlight of the album, this is more melodic, and has great solos and passages. the intro sample is about a guy talking about humans puking and dogs(?). then there is this great heavy riff with a clean section in the middle of the riff, and another good lead. This is another one of those tracks were everything fits together, the slower, more melodic sections in this song allow some breathing room from the relentlessness of the rest of the album however. another amazing song. 4.5/5
5. Incarnated Solvent Abuse (5:04)
this is another song like symposium of sickness. very fast, more like the earlier carcass, only extended. Their grindcore shines through here, with super fast relentles riffing throughout, in the entire 5 minutes you have no space to stop. From the opening note to the closing one, this song never lets up. good riffs, good solos, good track. 4/5
6. Carneous Cacoffiny (6:48)
this is a much slower song in parts then the rest of the album for the most part, but has a somewhat snowball effect to it, growing in intensity until the last note. it begins with a grinding riff that follows through with jeff's growls, and then the solo busts in, and it becomes much faster. after the solo it has this slow riff that prgressivly gets faster and then into a long string of riffs accompied by the blastbeats of the drums, slowing down again into the first riff with another kick-*** solo in the middle. the riffs in this song are simply amazing as well, very well writtenjust one hard hitting riff after another. the track, like every other one, never loses focus, its just a tad slower then others in some parts. very good nonetheless.
4.5/5
7. Lavaging Expectorate Of Lysergide Composition (4:07)
the shortest song on the cd, starts out with this flowing riff followed by a nicely done little lead at the begining. This track is a simple song, less memorable then other tracks. the marching guitar riffs in the song continue throughout, pasued every now and then by solos, also slightly repedative at times. good, but nothing memorable compared to other songs. 3/5
8. Forensic Clinicism / The Sanguine Article (7:10)
the last track on the cd starts out with this super heavy riff, followed by heavy riff, followed by heavy riff, all over the gutteral growls of walker. A good ending track, it has its good moments, and the consistency with the heavy riffing is unmatched anywhere else on the cd. other tracks at least have melodic breakdown sections, the heavy riffs here don't let up for a second. The track seems to just continue until it collapses on itslef, good drumming here, good everything as usual. a nice ontro track to an amazing cd. 4/5
In conclusion, Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious is the cd every metal fan should own. Unlike other grindcore cd's, this has amazing leads, amazing and comprehensible riffs, and the drumms are unparralled in flow with the music. anyone can do a blastbeat for two and a half minutes, the drums here flow perfectly with the music in almost every instance. the solos are great, the vocals are great, the songwriting is just amazing, a masterpiece of its own kind. a truly influental and landmark of a cd. one of the best of the ninties, one of the best of metal.
5/5
