• Limited Edition
• Remastered
• Part of Earache's Full Dynamic Range series
• Exhumed Black vinyl edition
• Import
  
  

Carcass released Symphonies of Sickness in 1990 as their second full-length, cementing the Liverpool quartet's position at the vanguard of goregrind and death metal's most abrasive wing. Following the raw demo aesthetics of their debut, this record marked a deliberate refinement of their sound—sharper production, more structured songwriting, and lyrics that deepened their anatomical obsession beyond shock value into genuine conceptual territory. The album stands as their most cohesive statement before the band's later shift toward grindcore minimalism, capturing a moment when technical ambition and extreme brutality moved in perfect alignment.

Tracks like "Reek of Putrefaction" and "Exhume to Consume" establish the album's visceral momentum with intricate riffing that propels rather than merely batters, while "Excoriating Abdominal Emanation" showcases the band's ability to sustain melodic undercurrents beneath layers of distortion and blast-beat intensity. "Empathological Necroticism" demonstrates their grasp of song architecture, building tension through dynamic shifts that few peers could manage within the genre's constraints. Throughout, the production—crystalline without losing heaviness—allows every instrument to register distinctly, from Bill Steer's surgical guitar work to Jeff Walker's guttural vocal textures. The thematic framework binds medical horror with philosophical inquiry, transforming what could have been pure provocation into something genuinely unsettling and intellectually engaged.

This 2013 reissue arrives as part of Earache's Full Dynamic Range initiative, restoring the record with meticulous attention to the original 1989 recording sessions at Slaughterhouse Studios. The vinyl pressing captures the clarity that digital remastering has unlocked without sacrificing the record's essential density. Available in limited color variations—each pressing strictly numbered and individually counted—this edition presents Symphonies of Sickness in its most sonically refined form on vinyl, making it essential for collectors who've only experienced the album through earlier presses or digital formats.

Tracklist:

A1. Reek Of Putrefaction (4:01)
A2. Exhume To Consume (3:50)
A3. Excoriating Abdominal Emanation (4:30)
A4. Ruptured In Purulence (4:11)
A5. Empathological Necroticism (5:47)
B1. Embryonic Necropsy And Devourment (5:13)
B2. Swarming Vulgar Mass Of Infected Virulency (3:10)
B3. Cadaveric Incubator Of Endoparasites (3:22)
B4. Slash Dementia (3:21)
B5. Crepitating Bowel Erosion (5:28)