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Class 6(66)

Carcass: Necroticism - Descanting the insalubrious

17/06/11  ||  Daemonomania

Introduction

Here’s the part where I note Carcass is a foundational band in the world of metal and co-fathered more subgenre children than Ahhnold Sperminator in a scholarly tone. I go on to state that “Necroticism” is halfway between their gore-soaked grind origins and the more accessible melodeathery of “Heartwork” and bla bla bla blafuckeddybla. Everyone else who has ever written a review for “Dufflicking the IGlubedanus” says the same shit over and over. Not me (ignore that I wrote it above). I’m here to proclaim that as a fan of classic death metal who doesn’t mind a twist of fun amidst the grim proceedings, this is by far the best thing I’ve heard from Carcass. Let me tell you why…

Songwriting

8. Here be long, sprawling death metal tracks that always return to a chorus or deeply infectious riff. AVAST. There are some shorter and meaner numbers present, but the long-players are the champions my friend. After listening to “Microwaved uterogestation”, who would have thought that these lads had enough songwriting chops to pull out over seven minutes of satisfying DM tuneage? “Inpropagation”. “Corporal jigsore quandary” (somewhat tainted in my mind by this). FUCKEN “Incarnated solvent abuse”. These are the foundations upon which a timeless monument stands.

My single complaint is that some passages are just a bit too free-wheeling, and focus tends to lessen until they come back to the song’s signature riff. That’s what prevents “Duckrockicism” from hitting the perfect 10 in my book.

Production

8.5. This is one good-sounding death metal album. You can tell it isn’t a brand spankin’ new piece, as the murky tone of the guitar and vocals instantly induce the classiboner. The samples at the beginning of each track also sound appropriately spooky. As usual I’m assuming that the reissuing process involved a remaster. The production gives every instrument a grisly, grinding place in the spectrum, so nice job indeed.

Guitars

8.5. An intoxicating mix of the sublime and the carnal. Amott’s lovely leads flit in and out of the teeth-grittingly heavy rhythm guitar work, providing the juicy femmoneyshot climax to almost each track. ADJECTIVES FTW. But unlike his role in “Heartwork” and his own gigs like Arch Enemy, “Necro”-Amott is merely the desultory final penetration of a previously stripped, raped, and strangled member of the Spice Girls. For in this butcher shop teh groove is king. Healthy amounts of riffage on here is primal, fundamental, and oddly upbeat despite being metal as hell itself.

Vocals

8.5. You know and love the Jeff Walker School of High-Pitched Hissing (go ahead and enroll but good luck getting financial aid). You enjoy the juxtaposition of Bill Steer’s low growls when they do appear. You didn’t quite take to the overly clean sound of Walker’s vocals on “Heartwork”, and can’t fucken stand that doubletracked effect stuff from their grindier days. For you, the vocals on “NDtI” are at the apex of Carcassian delivery. You are me. We are one. Us just farted.

Bass

6.5. Read the below paragraph on the drums. I don’t notice any crazy bass eruptions inside the oozing organs ov this fetid corpse, but Walker must add to the undeniable rhythmic swing of the slow sections. Growling while bass-ing is extremely metal. TOO EXTREME, even. Morbid Angel know all about shit when it gets TOO EXTREME. Ask them.

Drums

7. Nice work behind the kit, but my pus-bemired brain is not blown clean out of my head. “Stone Faced” Owens sounds a bit clumsy on the fast parts but always pulls through, and locks in the nice grooves when they appear. Not much more probosciniums I can lay upon this expungent charicaraphanaphy. I made those words up.

Lyrics

9. One word for you: illegitimeat. Awesome. Instead of just being a medical dictionary recited in baffling detail, the lyrics on “Necro” manage to work these hefty pieces of vocab into mini-stories about fertilizing plants with remains, puzzling over ze manpuzzle, playing some ghastly tunes with guts (I’m guessing they got that from a Lovecraft story), making people into pet food – you name the inappropriate treatment of the human form and Carcass got ya covered. Sometimes in the midst of strings of 28 letter words that start with ex my eyes glaze over, but for the most part high entertainment value prevails. Walker and the boys really knew how to turn a phrase.

Also, for the most part excellent choice of samples. Forgive me for not doing a bit more research, but where’d they get them from? Especially that dude at the beginning of “Symposium of sickness”?

Cover art

6. If this is a sheet cake, some kid is having a terrible birthday. Unless he’s a metalhead. So I guess there’s a doctor operating/painting on pictures of the band members. Is it an interesting cover? Yes. Is it necessarily a good cover? No. Six points for iconic value.

Logo

7.5. Not pictured on the front, but we all know what the dang Carcass logo looks like anyway. Cheers, jolly-o, what what.

Booklet

9. My spiffed up version is a digipack with some extra tracks and a separate bonus DVD. The layout of the digipack is pretty fucken excellent – the lyrics inscribed in loving detail, plenty of images of the band looking youthful and dreadlocked, and a few medical textbook pics tossed in for good measure. Worth the price of the upgrade.

On another note, and this may have nothing to do with the booklet; how about them lead guitar listings? Something about the corny, sometimes disgusting, and always hilarious names they give to each solo when crediting them to either Steer or Amott makes me crack up time and again.

Overall and ending rant

I’d like to thank IG for reminding me of this here album, since it has reanimated my faith in the bloody Brits to a large degree. “Heartwork” is a bit bland, forget that death ‘n roll garbage, and their old grinders are absolutely painful, but “Depanting the insanypuss” hits all the right notes with Daemohomo. And it should with you, since GD is primarily a death metal loving website no matter how many shitty grunge albums I cover. Most of those who immerse themselves the classickness probably have this bad boy already, but for those that are just spreading their scabby wings in the ancient tombs ov evil…GET IT. Get it before it gets you!

8.5

  • Band
  • Jeff Walker: vocals, bass
  • Bill Steer: guitars, vocals
  • Michael Amott: guitars
  • Ken Owen: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. Inpropagation
  • 02. Corporal Jigsore Quandary
  • 03. Symposium of Sickness
  • 04. Pedigree Butchery
  • 05. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
  • 06. Carneous Cacoffiny
  • 07. Lavaging Expectorate of Lysergide Composition
  • 08. Forensic Clinicism / the Sanguine Article

Class 6(66) -reviews

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