Description
Carcass – Necroticism – Descanting The Insalubrious – White Vinyl Record
Plastichead exclusive reissue on white vinyl
Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious is the third studio album by British extreme metal pioneers Carcass, released on October 30, 1991, via Earache Records. It marks a significant evolution in the band’s sound, representing a transitional point between their early goregrind origins and the more polished, melodic death metal approach they would fully embrace on later releases like Heartwork. With this album, Carcass introduced greater technicality, longer song structures, and more sophisticated production, moving away from the chaotic and abrasive sound of earlier works. The addition of Swedish guitarist Michael Amott—who would later co-found Arch Enemy—was a turning point, bringing melodic sensibility and dual-guitar harmonies to the band’s sonic arsenal. Alongside founding guitarist Bill Steer, the interplay between the two created a dynamic that elevated the band’s songwriting and overall sound.
Necroticism leans into progressive death metal, with complex riffing, tempo shifts, and a notable increase in clarity and precision. Produced by Colin Richardson, the album maintains a raw and brutal edge while pushing into more ambitious compositional territory. Lyrically, the band continued their fascination with medical and pathological themes, but this time with even more intricate, Latinate vocabulary—so much so that early versions of the album included a glossary to help decode the lyrics. Thematically, it retains the grotesque humor and clinical fascination with bodily decay that had become a Carcass trademark, but wrapped in a more refined and sometimes satirical intellectualism.
Tracks like “Corporal Jigsore Quandary,” “Incarnated Solvent Abuse,” and “Symposium of Sickness” showcase the album’s signature mix of surgical riffing, layered solos, and disturbing yet oddly poetic lyricism. Interspersed with samples from medical documentaries and forensic lectures, the album creates an atmosphere that’s both unsettling and darkly captivating. Each song feels meticulously constructed, offering brutal intensity tempered by moments of melodic finesse—a balance that helped distinguish Carcass from their peers in the death metal scene of the early ’90s.
Necroticism is widely regarded as a milestone in extreme metal, often cited as one of the most influential death metal albums of all time. It helped lay the groundwork for the rise of technical and melodic death metal, particularly influencing the burgeoning Swedish scene. Even decades after its release, the album remains essential listening for fans of extreme metal and stands as a testament to Carcass’s innovation and evolution. It is an album that manages to be grotesque and cerebral, chaotic and controlled, embodying a unique chapter in the genre’s development.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Inpropogation
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Symposium Of Sickness
Pedigree Butchery
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
Carneous Carcoffiny
Lavaging Expectorate Of Lysergide Composition
Foresnic Clnicicism/The Sanguine Article
