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Putrid Offal: Mature Necropsy

Why can't bands like this name their albums things like The Name of This Band is Putrid Offal or Meet Putrid Offal? I mean, sure, Mature Necropsy is good, but why not have a little fun? After all, the guys in the band are basically re-releasing—by re-recording—their entire 90s back catalogue, bringing the production values (and in some cases the songwriting) up-to-date or giving them a quick revision. It may very well be that these guys are due for another introduction, even a bit of a rebranding. And so: ladies and gentlemen—please meet Putrid Offal! This band put French Goregrind on the map and its members are ready to, once again, grab the unaware by the throat.

I never collected the original recordings back in the early 90s, so I'm experiencing these tracks for the first time. I won't compare them, but I do want to say that the music here sounds great; at times, it even sounds fresh and new, as if this style of metal were not something that lots of bands have already done (including, um, this band). Sure, it's more or less what you'd expect from goregrind, but it doesn't feel stuck in a rut or a pattern. I really enjoyed tracks like "Purulent Cold" and "Organic Excavation." Even the short track "Symptom" (clocking in at just less than 40 seconds) made for interesting listening.

Re-recordings rarely fare well with critics and with fans. Most people want the power, the freshness, and the rawness, of the originals. Returning to the past rarely goes well; sometimes, it's even embarrassing. Even though I did not listen to the original recordings, I have to say that this album sounds pretty great. For those, like me, who don't know this band, it's time to get acquainted.

See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!

Track Listing:
1. Purulent Cold
2. Garroting Way
3. Mortuary Garlands
4. Gurgling Prey
5. Repulsive Corpse
6. Suffering
7. From Plasma to Embalming
8. Organic Excavation
9. Premature Necropsy
10. Symptom
11. Rotted Flesh
12. Birth Remains
13. Outro

Added: June 30th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2085
Language: english

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Putrid Offal: Mature Necropsy
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2015-06-30 15:13:09
My Score:

OK, I've got one disc here and the track listing clearly shows two, hence I am without nine tracks from a 1991 split album with Exulceration, five from a six way band split from a year later and four from a demo and split with Agathocles, again from '91. So let's work with what we do have, which is fifteen tracks from Putrid Offal who formed around 1990, fired out the above content and then promptly split, before reforming in 2013 and recording this new album. Bring it all together and the cleverly titled Mature Necropsy reminds strongly of Carcass or Cock And Ball Torture as this outfit rip and roar for all their worth. And they're worth a fair amount as walls of guitars cascade around your head, vocals are gargled and screamed and drums pounded into submission.

The thirteen original tracks make for a mighty statement, romping at full pelt as they tear up all in sight and loudly gargle the results. This is brutal death metal and no mistake and while there are some subtle, convincing guitar solos, Putrid Offal are a band who simply do not let up. By the end you're out on your feet, "Gurgling Prey" a dizzying assault of cascading toms and hyper actively droning bass and "Premature Necropsy" a spitting threat of annihilation. Each aspect clicks loudly and reassuringly into place, leaving you wondering exactly what this lot could have achieved if they hadn't remained quiet for two and a half decades. A pair of covers close things in eclectic style, S.O.D.'s "Freddy Krueger" full of the sharp slashes its title suggests as it plays out at a slower pace and with a more obvious eye on control, while "Sane Men", originally by Nerve almost turns into an early Metallica homage (it's mighty fine).

With the strength of what Putrid Offal have to offer, I've no hesitation in recommending Mature Necropsy as an excellent stand alone album. That it comes with a disc of vintage early recordings merely sweetens the deal. If they're half as good as the main event, it'll be a hell of a ride.



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