HAEMORRHAGE – anatomical inferno – GATEFOLD SWIRL LP

Goregrind – Olive Green / Baby Blue Swirl version – Hells Headbangers

Spain’s HAEMORRHAGE should require no introduction. Alongside MORTICIAN, there is no other goregrind band who’ve been around longer and been more influential – or, perhaps most importantly, never wimped out for more commercial aspirations. As such, while they’ve undoubtedly drawn influence from the immortal early works of Carcass, it could be argued that HAEMORRHAGE have in many ways bested the original. Or, simply, rarely does goregrind get as disgusting AND catchy as these Spanish legends.

Although they hit the ground running in 1991 and released a slew of material, including two equally awesome albums, it was 1998’s Anatomical Inferno where HAEMORRHAGE truly delivered their legendry. Taking the flowing riffcraft of Carcass’ Symphonies of Sickness and adding the punkier side of Autopsy (or perhaps the successive Abscess), the band’s third album unleashed one locked & loaded anthem after another, seemingly swarming in their maelstrom of sewer sound but always keeping the focus on quick-hitting catchiness. Thus, tornados of classic grindcore tempo give way to gutted D-beats and vice versa. And while HAEMORRHAGE are unequivocally the definition of GOREGRIND, there’s nevertheless a crossover appeal here to fans of first-wave black metal, be it the moonlit gallop of earliest Bathory or the oblivion overload of equally early Sarcofago.