Carcass β Reek of Putrefaction
- intothewellsabyss
- Jul 28, 2023
- 3 min read
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
July 28, 1988 β Carcass released their debut full-length studio album, Reek of Putrefaction via Earache Records (Combat Records in the US). (Apple Music or Spotify)
Background:
When released, Reek of Putrefaction reached No. 6 on the UK Indie Chart, establishing Carcass as one of the pioneers of the Grindcore genre. The late BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel declared it his favorite album of 1988, in an interview for British newspaper The Observer. Guitarist/vocalist Bill Steer retrospectively said that "πππ πππππ πππππ π πππβπ ππππ’ πππππππ, ππ π ππ ππππ πππππ πππππ ππππ πππ πππππ’β¦".
He went on to say that the band didnβt intend the muddy sound present throughout the album:
"πππ πππππ πππ πππππππππ’ ππ π ππππ£π’ ππππππππ. πΈπβπ πππ π πππππ ππππππ πππ πππ π π πππ πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ ππππ ππππππ πππ πππππ ππππ ππππππ ππππ πππ . ππ πππ πππππππππ πππππ πππ π π ππππ ππππππβπ ππ‘πππππ ππππ. ππ π πππ πππ π’ππππ, πππ πππΈππ πππ ππππ‘πππππππππ. π΅πππ ππ’ππππππππ πππ ππππ, π π πππ ππππππ ππ πππππππππ πππ ππππππ π π π πππππ ππ πππππππ ππ πππ ππππππ."
Production:
Reek of Putrefaction was recorded in four days at Ritch Bitch Studios in Birmingham. According to guitarist Bill Steer, the studio's engineer "ππππππ" the record, especially its drum tracks. Carcass had only had a few hours available of mixing, so they had to release the LP as it was to meet the label's deadline. The band were "πππππ’πππππ πππ πππππ’" with the end result, declared Steer.
When the master recording was first sent to the pressing plant, the original vinyl LP had to be pressed at lower volumes, because the bass frequencies were so low (sometimes reaching 25 Hz) that they were in danger of rendering higher frequencies inaudible.
Release History:
Reek of Putrefaction was first released in 1988.
The original album cover consisted of a collage of autopsy photographs collected from medical journals.
Reek of Putrefaction was re-released in 1994 with a "πππππ" cover.
In 2002, the album was reissued with a censored outer cover proclaiming "πΎπππππππ ππππ πππ πππππππππ ππππππ".
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, along with the demo Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment, is presented as one side of a dualdisc, while the DVD side features the first part of an extended documentary titled The Pathologist's Report Part I: Incubation.
Later editions contain the album on a CD and the documentary on a separate DVD. The album is presented in a 12-panel digipak with full lyrics and artwork and is sealed in a white medical bag with sticker, to hide the controversial cover art.
Critical Reception:
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Ned Raggett writes;
ββ¦ππππ ππ πΏπππππππππππ ππππππππ ππ πππππ ππ πππππππππ πππ πππππ ππππ πππ’πππ ππ πππππ’π£π ππππ ππ πππππ ππ πππππππππππ’ ππππππππππ -- π’ππ ππππππ ππ πππ πππ π’πππππππ ππ ππππ πππ πππππ ππ π’ππ πππππ ππππ π πππ ππ ππππ πππ’πππππ ππππ ππ πππππ. πππππ πππ ππππππππππ πππππππ ππ ππππ -- "πΆππππππ πΆππππππ," π ππππ ππππππ ππππππ πππ, ππππππ π πππ π πππ ππππ ππππππ πππ π πππππ, ππππππ’ ππππ, π πππππ π ππ’ ππ ππππ πππππ ππ ππππππ πππ πππππ πππππππππ. πππ πππππ’πππππ πππ π πππ πππ ππππππ, π πππππ, πππ π’πππππ ππππππ ππ πππ πππππππππ ππ ππππ ππππππππππππππ πππππ’, πππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππππππππ’ πππ ππππππππππ’ ππ π πππ ππ ππππ.β
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β E.N. Wells
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