Carcass "Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious (Longbox, USA, Relativity Records, 88561-1096-2)"

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. 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.

Necroticism 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.

Ken 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".

In 2005, Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious was ranked number 294 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jeffrey Walker.

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

Inpropagation and Pedigree Butchery were firstly composed as an instrumental song and performed in a rehearsal on '87. Those songs are available in various "rare rehearsals" bootlegs.

Recording information:

Recorded at Amazon Studios, Simonswood. 

Colin Richardson – production, mixing

Carcass – mixing

Keith Hartley – engineering

Ian McFarlane – assistance

Dave Buchmann – assistance

John Paul – remastering