Symphonies of Sickness is the second album by British extreme metal band Carcass. It was released through Earache Records on 4 December 1989.
Musical style[]
While this album still retains the grindcore style of Reek of Putrefaction, the sound became more characteristic of death metal.[1]
Reception[]
In February 2009, Symphonies of Sickness was ranked number 4 in Terrorizer's list of essential European grindcore albums.[2]
Releases[]
The original CD release contained 16 bonus tracks taken from the Reek of Putrefaction album. Some editions also contain "Genital Grinder II" and "Hepatic Tissue Fermentation" from the Pathological compilation. The album was reissued in 1996 with a censored outer cover proclaiming "Original artwork contained inside". It was later reissued in 2008, as part of reissuing of all of Carcass's albums to tie in with their reunion. This version included the Symphonies of Sickness demo as bonus tracks on one side of a dualdisc, while the DVD side featured the second part of an extended documentary titled The Pathologist's Report Part II: Propagation. Later editions of this reissue contain the songs on a CD and the documentary on a separate DVD. This reissue was presented in a 12-panel digipak with full lyrics and artwork.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reek of Putrefaction" | 4:11 | |
| 2. | "Exhume to Consume" | 3:51 | |
| 3. | "Excoriating Abdominal Emanation" | 4:32 | |
| 4. | "Ruptured in Purulence" | 4:11 | |
| 5. | "Empathological Necroticism" | 5:46 | |
| 6. | "Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment" | 5:14 | |
| 7. | "Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency" | 3:11 | |
| 8. | "Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites" | 3:24 | |
| 9. | "Slash Dementia" | 3:23 | |
| 10. | "Crepitating Bowel Erosion" | 5:30 | |
| 11. | "Reek of Putrefaction" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) | ||
| 12. | "Slash Dementia" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) | ||
| 13. | "Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) | ||
| 14. | "Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) | ||
| 15. | "Ruptured in Purulence" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) | ||
| 16. | "Crepitating Bowel Erosion" (Bonus track on the 2008 reissue, taken from the Symphonies of Sickness demo.) |
Personnel[]
- Jeff Walker – vocals, bass guitar
- Bill Steer – vocals, lead guitar
- Ken Owen – drums, vocals
Charts[]
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[3] | 16 |
References[]
- ↑ J. Purcell, Natalie (5 May 2003). McFarland. ed. Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture. pp. 21–22. ISBN 0-7864-1585-1. http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=AwJJR5vvlIsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Choosing+Death:+The+Improbable+History+of+Death+Metal+%26+Grindcore+Carcass&hl=es&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 18 December 2011. "Carcass' debut album Reek of Putrefaction is said to have spurred the British Grindcore with its precise riffs and outrageous guitar solos. [...] Carcass' following album, Symphonies of Sickness, featured slower and catchier songs, and showed the band's movement into the Death Metal genre."
- ↑ Badin, Olivier (2009). "Essential Albums|Europe". Terrorizer Magazine (180): 54.
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. http://web.archive.org/web/20110605132906/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/c.htm. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
