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General Surgery: Necrology (Deluxe Reissue)

Being known as one of the earliest Carcass clones can be both a curse and a blessing. In the case of the former, anything produced is easily dismissed as an inferior reproduction of what's been done (usually much better) by somebody else, and in the case of the latter somebody's gonna pay attention and listen to it. Swedish Goregrind merchants General Surgery didn't (and probably still don't) give a shit either way. After three demos in 1990, Necrology was signed by Relapse Records and this, their debut EP, was given a limited release. Regarded by some as a "classic", Relapse have decided to dirty our doorsteps once again with this blood-splattered slab of mutilated malpractice recordings, with an additional three bonus tracks taken from their second demo, Pestisferous Anthropophagia. Nothing's changed. It's still a rancid pool of Carcass-inspired vomit. It's gritty, dirty, and pungent grindcore. If you're into Carcass and you want more of that ilk, then this ain't a bad place to start. If you missed this the first time around, maybe now's the time to check out Necrology.


Track Listing

  1. Ominous Lamentation
  2. Slithering Maceration of Ulcerous Facial Tissue
  3. Grotesque Laceration of Mortified Flesh
  4. Severe Catatonia in Pathology
  5. Crimson Concerto
  6. The Succulent Aftermath of a Subdural Hemorrhage
  7. An Orgy of Flying Limbs and Gore
  8. Slithering Maceration of Ulcerous Facial Tissue
  9. The Succulent Aftermath of a Subdural Haemmorhage
  10. Grotesque Laceration of Mortified Flesh

Added: June 26th 2011
Reviewer: Jason Guest
Score:
Related Link: Band website
Hits: 2844
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

General Surgery: Necrology (Deluxe Reissue)
Posted by Jeff B, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-06-26 19:43:13
My Score:

General Surgery is often considered to be the best Carcass clone ever, and that is mostly (if not entirely) due to this cult classic EP. Necrology, which was originally released back in 1991, is a highly celebrated release that has a "legendary" status in grindcore circles. These Swedish legends later re-formed to release more material, but Necrology is still widely considered their most important and essential release. Although I personally only enjoy the release in small quantities, I've had a good time experiencing Necrology, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a short and not-so-sweet grindcore blast!

General Surgery plays a style of grindcore/goregrind/death metal in the vein of early Carcass. The vocal style is extremely varied, and ranges from death growls, high pitched screams, and a variety of other noises that would be extremely difficult to type out. The instrumental aspect of the album isn't too interesting or varied - fat guitar riffs and blast beats dominate most of the release. With the original release clocking in at just over 15 minutes, Necrology certainly doesn't fall into the trap of being too long for its own good. This EP is short, heavy as hell, and powerful throughout its duration. The raw and unpolished production also helps emphasize this point. You'll able to hear everything clearly and, although it is clearly not the most hi-fi piece of music out there, it suits General Surgery's style of music well.

The 2011 Relapse reissue of the album contains three bonus demo tracks, all of which are inferior to the versions on the original EP. This reissue may only be worth re-buying if you're a die-hard fan of General Surgery, otherwise the bonus material isn't strong enough to warrant a re-purchase. People who missed getting this the first time around, however, will probably want to check it out since this reissue is the best version of Necrology out there.

Although I may not entirely agree with all of the praise this EP seems to receive, it's still a quality grindcore release worthy of 2.5 - 3 stars. Anyone who wants to understand anything about extreme metal should hear this EP at some point or another, but from a subjective point of view I can think of plenty of better grindcore releases to recommend.



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