Album
Symphonies of Sickness
Symphonies of Sickness is the second studio album by Carcass, the English extreme metal band. It came out on 4 November 1989 on Earache Records, with Combat Records handling the US release in December 1990. It follows 1988's Reek of Putrefaction and sits in that early run of records where death metal and grindcore are fused together.
It has a particular place in the band's story. This was the last time Carcass recorded as a three-piece until Surgical Steel arrived in 2013, and the last album to feature drummer Ken Owen on lead vocals. For anyone tracing how the band moved towards Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious in 1991 and then Heartwork in 1993, it is the record that shows where they stood before those changes.
Symphonies of Sickness: tracklist and credits
10 tracks · 43:25Tracklist
- 1Reek of PutrefactionOwen, Steer, Walker4:12
- 2Exhume to ConsumeKen Owen and Jeff Walker3:53
- 3Excoriating Abdominal EmanationOwen, Steer, Walker4:34
- 4Ruptured in PurulenceOwen, Steer, Walker4:13
- 5Empathological NecroticismOwen, Steer, Walker5:47
- 6Embryonic Necropsy and DevourmentOwen, Steer, Walker5:16
- 7Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected VirulencyOwen, Steer, Walker3:12
- 8Cadaveric Incubator of EndoparasitesOwen, Steer, Walker3:26
- 9Slash DementiaOwen, Steer, Walker3:25
- 10Crepitating Bowel ErosionOwen, Steer, Walker5:28
- Produced by
- Colin Richardson, Carcass
- Recorded at
- The Slaughterhouse Studios (Great Driffield, East Yorkshire)
- Recorded
- July–August 1989
- Labels
- Earache Records, Earache, Combat (US)
- Length
- 43:25
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
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Full discography →
Reek of Putrefaction
1988
Peel Sessions
1989
Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious
1991
Tools of the Trade
1992
Buried Dreams
1993
Heartwork
1993
The Heartwork EP
1993
Swansong
1996
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1996
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1997
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2004
Surgical Steel
2013
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2014
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2014
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2020
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2021
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The label →Heartwork
Carcass · 1993
Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious
Carcass · 1991
Swansong
Carcass · 1996
Reek of Putrefaction
Carcass · 1988
Tools of the Trade
Carcass · 1992
Choice Cuts
Carcass · 2004
Wake Up and Smell the… Carcass
Carcass · 1996
Buried Dreams
Carcass · 1993
Carcass / Cerebral Bore
Carcass · 2014
The Heartwork EP
Carcass · 1993
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia only
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | November 1989 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 4 November 1989 (GB) | |
| Wikidata | 1989 | |
| US release | 7 December 1990 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 4 November 1989 | earliest UK or European date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1989 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615101826 | original |
| November 1989 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615101819 | original |
| 1990 | US | Combat | 088561201722 | other |
| 21 December 1990 | JP | TOY’S FACTORY | 4988061885209 | other |
| 1994 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615101826 | other |
| 10 January 1995 | US | Earache Records | 745316001821 | other |
| 16 July 1996 | JP | TOY’S FACTORY | 4988061887487 | other |
| 5 July 2002 | US | Earache Records | 745316001821 | other |
| 12 August 2002 | XE | Earache Records | 5055006501858 | other |
| 1 October 2002 | US | Earache Records | 745316001814 | other |
| 24 March 2003 | GB | Earache Records | 5055006501810 | other |
| 27 October 2008 | GB | Earache Records | 5055006501841 | other |
| 27 January 2009 | US | Earache Records | 745316180120 | other |
| 25 March 2009 | XW | Earache Records | 5055006501810 | other |
| 8 November 2013 | XW | Earache Records | 5055006501834 | other |
| 11 January 2019 | GB | Earache Records | 817195021044 | other |
| 2025 | GB | Earache Records | other | |
| 21 November 2025 | — | Earache Records | 5055006501896 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |