General Surgery – Corpus in Extremis – Analysing Necrocriticism
General Surgery 2009 is something old and something new, thrown into the grinder with the days aging meat and other giblets and it is this stylistic spanning of all the era’s of death and grind, which gives the band a very lethal lease on life (or death?). Featuring members from bands such as Maze of Torment, Afflicted, Repugnant, Jigsore Terror and others, “Corpus in Extremis” skillfully holds onto the classic sound and riff writing style that has become the staple for Swedish death metal, but they inject this very modern edge to their sound by way of complex structures and an exacting speed attack that erupts on occasion from the core of this material with blistering results. Fans of Aborted and the like will greatly appreciate the technicality of Carcass inspired tracks like “Exotoxic Septicity”, while older fans of Dismember and Grave will gravitate towards pure Swedish burn and churners like “Virulent Corpus Dispersement” (this is probably my fave on this album) and “Restrained Remains”. When General Surgery stick to the slower elements of their sound, it’s where I find my head nodding the hardest and my senses yearning for even more of those sick harmonies and mid-paced tremolo searing riffs that always stick within my thoughts. Vocally, deep brutality co-exists with a cancerous snarl for diversity and a bit of simplistic layering. I’ve found myself hitting repeat on this CD on more than one occasion for the well written hammering that GS uphold and revel in with boundless skill and venomous execution. –Marty
Listenable Records
Worm Gear 