UMUR
"Symphonies of Sickness" is the second demo release by UK goregrind act Carcass. The demo was independently released in December 1988. It bridges the gap between Carcass debut- and sophomore full-length studio albums "Reek of Putrefacation" (June 1988) and "Symphonies of Sickness" (November 1989). The demo features five tracks and a total playing time of 20:10 minutes. All five tracks would appear in re-recorded versions on the "Symphonies of Sickness" album.
The sound quality is pretty lo-fi, murky, and noisy, and it can best be described as listening to the tracks from "Symphonies of Sickness" with the raw and unpolished production of "Reek of Putrefacation". It´s interesting to hear the band members talk between the tracks, and while I´m not 100% sure, this sounds a lot like a rehearsal demo recorded live in the band´s rehearsal space. So while it´s certainly an interesting historical document and a testimony to how creative and skilled Carcass were already this early on, it´s a demo which is hard on the ears. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.