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Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious is the third album by British extreme metal band Carcass. It was released on 30 October 1991 through Earache Records. This album is the first to feature guitarist Michael Amott and marked the first time Carcass had recorded as a four-piece. Many of the tracks describe economical ways to dispose of dead bodies.[2] Necroticism continues the move towards a predominant death metal sound which was started in Symphonies of Sickness, featuring songs with longer sections and complex structures, more akin to the then-burgeoning technical death metal subgenre.[1]
| Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 October 1991 (Europe) 11 February 1992 (North America) | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Amazon Studios, Simonswood, Lancashire, UK | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:03 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Colin Richardson | |||
| Carcass chronology | ||||
| ||||
Release
editNecroticism was originally released on 21 October 1991 through Earache Records. The album was re-released in 2008 as part of an ongoing series of Carcass reissues, to tie in with their reunion. The main album is presented as one side of a dualdisc, while the DVD side features the third part of an extended documentary titled The Pathologist's Report Part III: Mass Infection, and a 23-minute interview with Walker and Amott from 1993, recorded on the Gods of Grind tour. Later editions of the reissue contain the album on a CD and the documentary on a separate DVD. Also included in the reissue is a set of four art cards. The reissue is presented in a 12-panel digipak with full lyrics and artwork.
Musical style
editKen Owen and Jeff Walker said during The Pathologist's Report Part III: Mass Infection that they rejected the descriptions of Carcass's music on this album being grindcore. While Owen acknowledges its death metal characteristics, both he and Walker expressed that they are more inclined towards calling their music on this album "progressive".[3] Music journalist T Coles described the album as having "a more straightforward death metal sound".[4]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10[6] |
| Kerrang! | [7] |
| Metal Rules | 5/5[8] |
| Metal Storm | 9.6/10[9] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[10] |
AllMusic gave Necroticism four out of five stars, stating that the worthy addition of Michael Amott made the record an excellent guitarist's album.[5] Kerrang! notably gave the album a perfect score in their 364th magazine issue.[7] Metal Storm gave Necroticism a 9.6/10 calling it a masterpiece and a transitional album that every metalhead should own (melodic or extreme) and suggested that people should buy the album immediately.[9]
Accolades
editIn 2005, Necroticism was ranked number 294 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[11] In September 2005, Necroticism was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame, being the eighth album overall to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame.[12]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Jeffrey Walker
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Inpropagation" | Bill Steer, Ken Owen | 7:07 |
| 2. | "Corporal Jigsore Quandary" | Steer, Owen, Michael Amott | 5:48 |
| 3. | "Symposium of Sickness" | Owen | 6:56 |
| 4. | "Pedigree Butchery" | Steer | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" | Steer, Amott | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Carneous Cacoffiny" | Steer | 6:43 |
| 7. | "Lavaging Expectorate of Lysergide Composition" | Steer | 4:03 |
| 8. | "Forensic Clinicism / The Sanguine Article" | Steer | 7:16 |
| Total length: | 48:03 | ||
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Tools of the Trade" (bonus tracks) | Steer, Amott | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Pyosisified (Still Rotten to the Gore)" (bonus tracks) | Steer, Walker | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II" (bonus tracks) | Steer | 6:38 |
| Total length: | 60:53 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mike's Musical Input" | 1:55 |
| 2. | "A Label for Release" | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Corporal Jigsore Quandary" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Achieving the Sound" | 0:37 |
| 5. | "The Album Imagery" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Classic Carcass" | 2:07 |
| 7. | "Meaning of the Album Title" | 3:27 |
| 8. | "Back to the Rehearsal Rooms" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "Red Dwarf "Smeg & the Heads"" | 2:20 |
| 10. | "Death Threats" | 2:03 |
| Total length: | 27:17 | |
Credits
editWriting, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.[13]
Personnel
editCarcass
edit- Jeffrey Walker – bass, vocals
- Bill Steer – guitars, vocals
- Ken Owen – drums, additional vocals
- Michael Amott – guitars, additional vocals
Production
edit- Colin Richardson – production, mixing
- Carcass – mixing
- Keith Hartley – engineering
- Ian McFarlane – assistance
- Dave Buchmann – assistance
- John Paul – remastering
Visual art
edit- Carcass – cover art
- Tom Warner – layout
Studios
edit- Amazon Studios, Simonswood, UK – recording
- Mine Music – remastering
References
edit- ^ a b Jennings, Chris (21 January 2017). "The 10 Greatest Old School UK Death Metal Albums". Worship Metal. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ Metal Storm staff. "Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious lyrics". Metal Storm. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Carcass - The Pathologist's Report Part 3: Mass Infection (video). Earache Records via YouTube. 28 January 2013. Event occurs at 9:42-10:01. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Coles, T (2022). Death Metal. Bloomsbury Acedemic. p. 73.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious - Carcass at AllMusic
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ a b Russell, Xavier (26 October 1991). "Carcass 'Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious'". Kerrang!. Vol. 364. London, UK: Spotlight Publications. p. 26.
- ^ The Punishment Due (July 2002). "Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious". Metal Rules. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Herzebeth (17 January 2007). "Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious review". www.metalstorm.net. Metal Storm. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz (December 1991). "Review Dynamit" [Review dynamite]. Rock Hard (in German). No. RH #56. Germany: Rock Hard. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 95. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ^ Chase, Jesse (September 2005). "Carcass – "Necrotocism"". Decibel. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious (booklet). Carcass. Earache Records. 2008. MOSH 4202. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)