Necrology

Often considered a clone of early Carcass, General Surgery do indeed play a very similar sound to the days of "Reek of Putrefaction" or "Symphonies of Sickness". Although I won’t argue the notion that General Surgery’s “Necrology” falls into the clone territory, in its defense, I will say; that’s not always a bad thing. Now, it’s one thing to copy or plagiarize someone’s work, and try to achieve success without giving credit to where credit’s due. To my knowledge, General Surgery never tried to claim they were the foremost authority in goregrind or grindcord, they simply played their music in vain of the band they worshiped. Some would cite the old adage; “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” I feel, that applies with “Necrology”.

As for the music, if you’re familiar with Carcass, you’ll know what to expect. The guitars are very thick and provide a muddy tone to their sound. This murky sound helps create somber imagery for the perverse lyrics the band dwells within. The vocals are a combination of low, guttural sounding growls, and very muffled, inaudible gugrgles that pass as singing. This, noise that substitutes for singing, would eventually become a staple in many goregrind and brutal death metal bands in the future. Bands such as, Exit-13 and Frightmare would make this muffled sound one of the main vocal features on their releases. The drumming jumps back and forth on each track providing both a very catchy, rhythmic beat at times, while others, simply playing a stream of blast beats and heavy bass kicks. As a whole, the thick guitars and varied drumming create a dark harmony that allows the vocals to spew forth and put all the elements together to create the filthy sound “Necrology” was destined to become.

Again, the sound on “Necrology” may not be much of an original product (although, I feel they used the trademark goregrind muffled gurgle sound more than Carcass), but it is nonetheless satisfying. That being said, I feel General Surgery's "Necrology" follows the code of "primum non nocere" and certainly does no harm to the original formula. This EP certainly has its place in the early moment of goregrind, which I fell deserves a little attention from both Carcass fans and modern goregrind fans alike.

Highlights: "Crimson Concerto", "Severe Catatonia in Pathology"

Into the Abyss of Oblivion

Clone bands generally do not get good reviews from me. This obvious Carcass clone does for two reasons, one being I like to contradict myself, and two because they actually have something to offer as a study in clone bands. On this album more so then on their later work, they are a Carcass clone, pure and simple, their melodies, their rhythm patterns, the dual voices, the topics of the songs, the titles of the songs, everything. Even the intro to this album sounds like ‘Genital Grinder’ which brings me back to why I am writing this review. This is the only band I know of who so openly embrace the fact that they are a clone band. They make an intro song that sounds so painfully obviously like a copy of ‘Genital Grinder’ that they must simply be proud cultists of Carcass. That is something that not even other worshipers like Impaled or Exhumed do. Also, unlike aforementioned bands, this band even though being an obvious clone retains more originality and more of that old school gore grind sound then the others. So this band, although I am not entirely sure why they are considered such legends, are still great and unique in their cloning practices. And later on they developed more of their own style, for better or worse who is to really say. At nay rate they started making music more like themselves and less like Carcass as time progressed. At this point they still wrote music that reeked of putrefaction, and it was good.

Lack of originality is not always a terrible thing. "Carcass clones." Well, I don't think this band has the exact Carcass clone vibe going on. The lyrics are based in gore and medical terminology, much like early Carcass. The music does have a Carcass-esque vibe, but there is much more behind this band. The music is brutal and fast at times, while at others it is very mid-tempo. This band has a lot going for them. In 1991, the gore/grind scene was beginning to reach more audiences, and General Surgery is no expection to that movement.
Necrology is often considered General Surgery's crowning achievement, though it's not hard to see why, considering the terrible recording quality of the work prior. This album really sees the band branching out with excellent results. Although they are veterans in the sceen, I look for them make an impact with future releases, if they are marketed correctly.
The music is expertly executed and even the faster songs (such as "Slithering Maceration of Ulcerous Facial Tissue) are not overbearing. The music, although fast and brutal, still has an air of accessibilty.
This album is HIGHLY recommended to those into early Carcass, Impaled, and anybody who wants to hear what the early 90's gore/grind movement was all about.

If you're a fan of early Carcass mainly Reek Of Putrefaction or Symphonies Of Sickness you need this EP. General Surgery has members from Dismember & Afflicted. They use great production to create a gritty dirty sound. The lyrics are basic on surgery, gore, and forensics. In true Carcass fashion, using two vocal styles. In the instrumental intro "Ominous Lamentation" which is a great homage to the classic Carcass instrumental "Genital Grinder". Being known as a clone band isn't a bad thing when it's pulled off in such a magnificent way as General Surgery's Necrology clearly shows. They have resently signed to Razorback Records and released a split with The County Medical Examiners.