Carcass is recognized as pioneers in the grindcore genre. Their early work was also associated with tags like "splatter death metal" and "hardgore," owing to their macabre lyrics and gruesome album covers. Moreover, their 1993 album Heartwork contributed to their status as pioneers of melodic death metal.
The band frequently explores animal rights issues in their lyrics, and some members follow vegetarian or vegan lifestyles.
Studio albums
Reek of Putrefaction (1988)
Symphonies of Sickness (1989)
Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (1991)
Heartwork (1993)
Swansong (1996)
Surgical Steel (2013)
Torn Arteries (2021)
Reek of Putrefaction
Carcass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And maturing damp fumes
This foul menage forces tears to your eyes
As the corpse's gas are exhumed
Intoxicated by foul body odours
And the nauseating tepid whiff
Pinching your nostrils as you irrigate flatus
Volatile entrails fume and steam
As they're meticulously hacked during discission
Evaporating sludge and bubbling pus
A rotten gaseous expiration
Maturating corpse, the stale smell of decay and rot
A sickening asphyxiation
Gross remains gush, innards turn to sludge
With partial liquefaction
Smell the rot
Of the corrupted corpse
Hallucinogenic trip
Tissue gases leak, a warm, unpleasant reek
A quite macabre addiction
Deteriorated, bloated corpse, decomposure burning hot
Sniff the smell of carrion
Inhaling the dank smells
As you gouge out the dripping innards with glee
Succumbing to a trans-lucid state
As you sniff the aroma of necropsy
Bacterial decomposition
The aroma of fungal/larval infestation
Consuming, ripening slime
As the cadaver is slowly wasting
Your sore sinews rot, blood curdling coughs
As acrid foetor corrodes your lungs
Body orifices clenched in your teeth
As you frenziedly try to insert the bungs
Swollen, ripened corpse, the stench of crusting clots
The smell of stale perspiration
Administering watery gore, you're screaming out for more
Addicted to putrefaction.
Snort the corpse
Get high on the rot
Orgasmic rush
Turns your brains to pus
Carcass's song Reek of Putrefaction offers a macabre interpretation of the human obsession with the smell of decay and rot. The lyrics depict someone who is not repulsed but rather excited by the smell of a dead body decomposing. The song speaks of the addictiveness of this experience, describing the twisted pleasure derived from inhaling the odor of necropsy, inhaling damp fumes, and succumbing to a trans-lucid state.
The imagery employed in the song is graphic and disturbing, with references to "pinching your nostrils as you irrigate flatus," "ripening slime," "bacterial decomposition," and "acrid foetor corrodes your lungs." The lyrics describe the physical effects of this addiction, including "blood curdling coughs" and "sinews rot."
Overall, the song provides a disturbing yet surprisingly insightful commentary on the human fascination with the morbid and grotesque.
Line by Line Meaning
Snorting the stench of latent effluvium
Breathing in the unpleasant smell of waste that has been building up over time
And maturing damp fumes
Also inhaling the strong odor of moist air that has been fermenting
This foul menage forces tears to your eyes
The combination of these smells is so strong that it makes you cry
As the corpse's gas are exhumed
The gases from the decaying body are released into the air
Intoxicated by foul body odours
Feeling drunk or impaired by the bad smells coming from the body
And the nauseating tepid whiff
Also experiencing the sickening, lukewarm odor from the corpse
Pinching your nostrils as you irrigate flatus
Covering your nose as you release gas from the decayed body
From the emaciated stiff
From the thin, malnourished corpse
Volatile entrails fume and steam
The internal organs give off vapor as they decompose
As they're meticulously hacked during discission
As they are carefully and precisely cut apart during dissection
Evaporating sludge and bubbling pus
The liquefied remains of the body are turning into gas and bubbles
A rotten gaseous expiration
The exhalation of the foul-smelling gas from the corpse
Maturating corpse, the stale smell of decay and rot
The dead body is maturing or becoming more mature, and smells strongly of decay and decomposition
A sickening asphyxiation
The overpowering stench is suffocating and causing difficulty breathing
Gross remains gush, innards turn to sludge
The disgusting remnants of the body flow out, and the internal organs liquefy
With partial liquefaction
Only some of the body has turned into a liquid
Smell the rot
Detect the strong and unpleasant odor of decay
Of the corrupted corpse
Of the dead body that has become contaminated or spoiled
Hallucinogenic trip
An experience of altered consciousness, possibly due to the intense smells
Tissue gases leak, a warm, unpleasant reek
Gas from the body's tissues is coming out, creating a hot and terrible smell
A quite macabre addiction
Becoming addicted to something very strange and disturbing
Deteriorated, bloated corpse, decomposure burning hot
The body is in a state of decay, it is swollen and hot to the touch
Sniff the smell of carrion
Inhale the odor of dead and decaying flesh
Inhaling the dank smells
Breathing in the damp and musty odors
As you gouge out the dripping innards with glee
As you ecstatically remove the internal organs which are dripping with fluid
Succumbing to a trans-lucid state
Becoming lost in a state between life and death, perhaps because of the strong smells
As you sniff the aroma of necropsy
As you take in the scent of the autopsy being performed
Bacterial decomposition
The disintegration of the body's tissues by bacteria
The aroma of fungal/larval infestation
The smell of fungus or insect larvae growing in the decaying flesh
Consuming, ripening slime
The slime on the body is becoming thicker and more developed as it decays
As the cadaver is slowly wasting
As the body is gradually disappearing or declining
Your sore sinews rot, blood curdling coughs
Your tendons and ligaments are decaying and your coughs sound extremely unpleasant
As acrid foetor corrodes your lungs
The strong and pungent odor causes harm to your respiratory system
Body orifices clenched in your teeth
You are biting down on the holes or openings in the corpse
As you frenziedly try to insert the bungs
As you desperately attempt to plug the orifices with something
Swollen, ripened corpse, the stench of crusting clots
The distended and matured body has a smell of drying blood and other bodily fluids
The smell of stale perspiration
The odor from the decaying body is similar to that of old sweat
Administering watery gore, you're screaming out for more
As you spread the liquid from the corpse, you are begging for more
Addicted to putrefaction
Becoming dependent on the decaying process
Snort the corpse
Inhale the scents from the decaying body
Get high on the rot
Become intoxicated by the decomposition of the body
Orgasmic rush
An intense sensation similar to an orgasm
Turns your brains to pus
The experience is so strong that it ruins your mental state
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DMSup
Year: 1988
Country: United Kingdom
Genital Grinder 0:00 – 1:32
Regurgitation of Giblets 1:33 – 2:58
Maggot Colony 2:59 – 4:36
Pyosisified (Rotten to the Gore) 4:37 – 7:31
Carbonized Eyesockets 7:32 – 8:43
Frenzied Detruncation 8:44 – 9:43
Vomited Anal Tract 9:44 – 11:28
Festerday 11:29 - 11:51
Fermenting Innards 11:52 – 14:27
Excreted Alive 14:28 – 15:48
Suppuration 15:49 – 18:08
Foeticide 18:09 – 20:53
Microwaved Uterogestation 20:54 – 22:19
Feast on Dismembered Carnage 22:20 – 23:46
Splattered Cavities 23:47 – 25:39
Psychopathologist 25:40 – 26:59
Burnt to a Crisp 27:00 – 29:43
Pungent Excruciation 29:44 – 32:14
Manifestation of Verrucose Urethra 32:15 – 33:17
Oxidised Razor Masticator 33:18 – 36:30
Mucopurulence Excretor 36:31 – 37:39
Malignant Defecation 37:40 – 39:55
@christopherpotter6650
Reek of Putrefaction just celebrated its 35th anniversary this year (2023)! BRUTAL!!!!!
1988: Being released for the first time
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993: 5th Anniversary
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998: 10th Anniversary
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003: 15th Anniversary
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008: 20th Anniversary
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013: 25th Anniversary
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018: 30th Anniversary
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023: 35th Anniversary
@DMSup
Year: 1988
Country: United Kingdom
Genital Grinder 0:00 – 1:32
Regurgitation of Giblets 1:33 – 2:58
Maggot Colony 2:59 – 4:36
Pyosisified (Rotten to the Gore) 4:37 – 7:31
Carbonized Eyesockets 7:32 – 8:43
Frenzied Detruncation 8:44 – 9:43
Vomited Anal Tract 9:44 – 11:28
Festerday 11:29 - 11:51
Fermenting Innards 11:52 – 14:27
Excreted Alive 14:28 – 15:48
Suppuration 15:49 – 18:08
Foeticide 18:09 – 20:53
Microwaved Uterogestation 20:54 – 22:19
Feast on Dismembered Carnage 22:20 – 23:46
Splattered Cavities 23:47 – 25:39
Psychopathologist 25:40 – 26:59
Burnt to a Crisp 27:00 – 29:43
Pungent Excruciation 29:44 – 32:14
Manifestation of Verrucose Urethra 32:15 – 33:17
Oxidised Razor Masticator 33:18 – 36:30
Mucopurulence Excretor 36:31 – 37:39
Malignant Defecation 37:40 – 39:55
@frankwells7520
As someone already mentioned, this album is really frightening, not only for the artwork and lyrics (absolutely over the top back in '88), the incredible dirty and heavy sound, the inhumane voices. Listen to the eerie bridge between Genital grinder and Regurgitation of giblets, when Bill's voice enters.
But this album is also convoluted, it's like a glorified demo, in fact most of the songs sound like embryonic versions of the great stuff you can find on "Symphonies of sickness". That's the real start of the great musical journey of Carcass.
@rileywallace1132
This gave me a sick feeling the first time I listened to it. And I'm a thrash and death metalhead. I could only imagine what this would do to a normie who really sat down and listened to this
@miguelmurill1
"Frightening"? If you're an 8-year-old, sure. Otherwise, it's heavily distorted, as in exaggerated, and gimmicky.
@therealthing1982
@@yeehaw2053 Terrifying is maybe pushing it a bit. Yeah, it would likely have been offensive to most "normals" in 1988, but they were hardly its audience.
@TorinMizenko
1st album best, everything after this… doesn’t have the spirit.
@surfboardjoker6299
@@miguelmurill1 dude your so cool for not being freaked out by gore, what a badass!
@master4992
Pioneers in this genre. Legendary album. Long live the mighty Carcass!
@DMSup
Never exceeded !
@algirdasdemon1478
Wow :-)