HAEMORRHAGE - Anatomical Inferno (1998)

Dear Lisa Cuddy, I Have a New Worker for You...

 

 

 

This time Spanish travel agency Haemorrhage offers a pleasure trip to anatomical inferno. Does it sound encouragingly? Can we expect pony-trekking, coach trip or something like safari ride or photographic nice adventure? Ahem, rather not. Why? Because our tour guide doesn’t seem to be sane, just look at the excursive proposals: viewing ‘Treasures of Anatomy’ or ‘Dawn in the Rotting Paradise’…  So, wait a minute, is our choice correct for us? Will it be the best holiday time in our lives? No, we are going to see some unspeakable horror show… I’m with them, so I fasten safety belts quickly!

Yep, after these nice words of introduction and encouragement, I declare one thing on the very beginning: this is the best album of these sick and deranged Spaniards. If there is a law of the third album magic, here I have a splendid affirmative proof of this thesis. I can consciously write about splendid release and performance of the band, in spite of listening to the newest “Hospital Carnage”.  Their first two albums has many Carcass influences, but with “Anatomical Inferno” Spaniards became more ‘original’ band. Writing about production: the musicians managed to gain really excellent pathological sound which makes the music totally devastating for helpless listener. Everything is audible, even drums don’t disappear during maximum speed. The pathologists prepared 14 songs, but the better description should be: 14 worm-infested human cavities…

All right, taking this rotten and putrid piece of metal to my trembling hand and putting it to the cassette recorder (yes, exactly, I have it on a tape and it still woks, can you believe it???), I know one thing – no boredom will strike my senses! It is very important element in such music like goregrind. And Haemorrhage put into their devastating brutality some riffs which are very ‘catchy’. Listen to the opening track “Enshrouded in Putrilage” (with quasi-lead guitar) and “A Cataleptic Rapture”. Both songs with excellent group of riffs, but the Spaniards of course don’t complicate the music structure. Fast, straight forward shots only. The next tracks worth to mention: “Putritorium” with superb chorus, some slow down and speedup on the end, “Worminfested Cavities”, the next catchy hit song with absolutely crushing chorus and guitar lead, “I’m a Pathologist” – which is like Haemorrhage creed, especially lyrics are the essence of existence he, he. In turn the album is closed up by “Set the Morgue on Fire” with mid-paced tempo on the beginning, crushing chorus and marvelous ending (‘marvelous’ in a Haemorrhage meaning of course…). It makes this sick track the next highlight from the album.

All these fourteen de-compositions are really destructive force. Even I find here this specific sense of humour, the main task of Spaniards is to dissect and shatter listener’s nervous system. Although each member of the band is important part of machine, some additional words I have to write about Lugubrious, the vocalist. The vocalist? Booklet says: ‘vox maligna’. And these two words exactly describe potentiality of this man (or should I write ‘a singing pathologist’?). Totally inhuman and barbarous: from guttural growls, shrieks, blackish screams to vocals vomit, savage gurgitations and other nice euphonic destroyers of listener auricle. Lugubrious is a number one in this metal genre.

I saw them live only two times and when I start to listen to this stuff (or another Haemorrhage effluvium) with bated breath, these splendid enjoyable moments cross my mind. For sure their stage activity is a complement to the entirety called Haemorrhage. Musically they can maintain here excellent balance between bestial devastating blasts and mid tempo catchy parts. These thirty minutes run very fast, music effectively kills boredom (something like ‘dissecting the dullness’). And when somebody looks at the front cover, only green shades are present and nothing foreshadows upcoming sonic disaster. Fortunately first track takes me to this sick world of deranged pathology and musical pleasure. I push the play button and I plunge into the world of anatomy…

98/100

-Tlacaxipehualiztli

(previously written for Encyclopaedia Metallum, on September, 2011, now modified a bit)