# Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious

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.

## Release

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.

## Musical style

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". Music journalist T Coles described the album as having "a more straightforward death metal sound".

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10 |
| Kerrang! | |
| Metal Rules | 5/5 |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10 |
AllMusic gave Necroticism four out of five stars, stating that the worthy addition of Michael Amott made the record an excellent guitarist's album. Kerrang! notably gave the album a perfect score in their 364th magazine issue. Metal Storm gave Necroticism a 9.6/10 calling it a masterpiece and a transitional album that every metalhead should own (melodic or extreme) and suggested that people should buy the album immediately.

### Accolades

In 2005, Necroticism was ranked number 294 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. In September 2005, Necroticism was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame, being the eighth album overall to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame.

## Track listing

All lyrics are written by Jeffrey Walker

## Credits

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

### Personnel
#### Carcass

* Jeffrey Walker – bass, vocals
* Bill Steer – guitars, vocals
* Ken Owen – drums, additional vocals
* Michael Amott – guitars, additional vocals

#### Production

* Colin Richardson – production, mixing
* Carcass – mixing
* Keith Hartley – engineering
* Ian McFarlane – assistance
* Dave Buchmann – assistance
* John Paul – remastering

#### Visual art

* Carcass – cover art
* Tom Warner – layout

### Studios

* Amazon Studios, Simonswood, UK – recording
* Mine Music – remastering