Symphonies of Sickness

1989 studio album by Carcass

Symphonies of Sickness

The original "gore" cover artwork

Studio album by

Carcass

Released| 4 December 1989 (1989-12-04)
Recorded| July – August 1989
Studio| The Slaughterhouse Studios (Great Driffield, East Yorkshire)
Genre|

* Grindcore[1]
* death metal[2]
* goregrind[3]

Length| 43:10
Label| Earache, Combat (US)
Producer| Colin Richardson, Carcass
Carcass chronology
| Reek of Putrefaction
(1988)  | Symphonies of Sickness
(1989)  | Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious
(1991)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [4]
Entertainment Weekly| B+[5]
Metal Rules| 4/5[6]

Symphonies of Sickness is the second album by British extreme metal band Carcass. It was released through Earache Records on 4 December 1989.

Until 2013's Surgical Steel, this album marked the last time the band had recorded as a three-piece.

## Music

[edit]

With Symphonies of Sickness, Carcass kept the grindcore sound of Reek of Putrefaction and added a death metal style,[2] and Loudwire described it as "43 minutes of gore-filled fury."[7] Eduardo Rivadavia of Loudwire assessed: "While Cannibal Corpse and other gratuitously gory extreme metal bands regaled listeners with disgusting lyrics inspired by horror movies, Liverpool, England’s aptly named Carcass resorted to forensic pathology textbooks for the source material behind their lyrics, which read like poetry for the mentally (and musically) deranged. 1989’s ‘Symphonies of Sickness’ was perhaps the definitive example, building upon the crushing force of grindcore with underrated musical precision and Jeff Walker’s vomited vocals."[8] Compared to their previous album, Symphonies of Sickness contains a shorter track list in exchange for longer and more complex songs. Similar to their previous album, all three members of the band contributed vocals.[citation needed]

## Reception and legacy

[edit]

Ned Raggett of Allmusic gave Symphonies of Sickness a four star review praising the album's depth in comparison to its predecessor Reek of Putrefaction. Raggett singled out "Exhume to Consume" as the main highlight of Symphonies of Sickness and called it an all-time Carcass number.[4] Greg Pratt of Decibel ranked the ten tracks from Symphonies of Sickness and picked "Exhume to Consume" as the best track from the album calling it a classic death metal cut.[9]

Symphonies of Sickness is now considered a landmark in the deathgrind sub-genre of heavy metal music. In December 2018, it became the third Carcass album to be inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame; the first two being Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious and Heartwork respectively. This accolade would reward 50% of the band's full-length discography a Hall of Fame entry.[10][9] In the same year, Loudwire's Eduardo Rivadavia named Symphonies of Sickness as the best goregrind album ever made.[3] In February 2009, Symphonies of Sickness was ranked number 4 in Terrorizer's list of essential European grindcore albums.[1]

According to the staff of Loudwire, Carcass defined the goregrind subgenre with Symphonies of Sickness.[7]

## Releases

[edit]

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.[citation needed]

### Cover artwork variations

[edit]

A limited edition (featuring the "gore" cover artwork) was once released containing 16 bonus tracks taken from the Reek of Putrefaction album. The total running time of this version is 76:58. The original "gore" cover, which was later banned and replaced by a "clean" cover, with a drawing of a human similar to those found in biology books. In 2002/2003 the gore cover was restored.[citation needed]

## Track listing

[edit]

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

2008 bonus tracks (Symphonies of Sickness demo)No.| Title| Length

|
|

11.| "Reek of Putrefaction"| 3:42
12.| "Slash Dementia"| 3:11
13.| "Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment"| 4:51
14.| "Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites"| 3:19
15.| "Ruptured in Purulence"| 3:48
16.| "Crepitating Bowel Erosion"| 5:15
Total length:| 63:28

## Personnel

[edit]

* Jeff Walker – bass, vocals
* Bill Steer – guitar, vocals
* Ken Owen – drums, vocals

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1989)  | Peak
position

|

UK Indie Chart[11] | 16

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Badin, Olivier (2009). "Essential Albums|Europe". Terrorizer Magazine (180): 54.
2. ^ a b 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. 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."
3. ^ a b "THE BEST METAL ALBUMS FROM 40 SUBGENRES". Loudwire. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
4. ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Symphonies of Sickness – Carcass". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
5. ^ Browne, David (25 January 1991). "Death Metal new releases". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
6. ^ The Punishment Due (July 2002). "Carcass - Symphonies Of Sickness". Metal Rules. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
7. ^ a b Loudwire Staff (22 November 2022). "Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s". Loudwire. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
8. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (21 November 2022). "The Best Metal Album From 40 Subgenres". Loudwire. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
9. ^ a b Pratt, Greg. "Hall of Fame Countdown: Carcass' "Symphonies of Sickness"". Decibel. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
10. ^ Dick, Chris. "Carcass – "Decibel"". Decibel. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
11. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Symphonies of Sickness on Discogs
* Symphonies of Sickness on Bandcamp

* v
* t
* e

Carcass

* Bill Steer
* Jeffrey Walker
* Daniel Wilding
* Tom Draper

* Ben Ash
* Michael Amott
* Daniel Erlandsson
* Ken Owen
* Mike Hickey
* Carlo Regadas
* Sanjiv

Studio albums|

* Reek of Putrefaction
* Symphonies of Sickness
* Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious
* Heartwork
* Swansong
* Surgical Steel
* Torn Arteries

EPs|

* The Peel Sessions
* Tools of the Trade
* The Heartwork EP
* Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel
* Despicable

Compilations|

* Wake Up and Smell the... Carcass
* Choice Cuts

Related articles|

* Discography
* Brujería
* Blackstar
* Arch Enemy
* Firebird
* Spiritual Beggars
* Welcome to Carcass Cuntry

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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