There ain't a more entertaining early Carcass-worshipping force in the modern underground than Tokyo-based duo Pharmacist (among the many, a lesser known but totally admirable case is Finland's Galvanizer). The band has been around since 2020 and immediately made impact with the scene through the debut Medical Renditions of Grinding Decomposition, a true grindfest of grotesque medical imagery and pathological terror in the most Symphonies-of-Sickness-esque manner possible. While having been quite active until 2022 with another full-length album and several mini-releases, a four year break (an eternity in goregrind time) was taken before the release of third record, Vertebrae After Vertebrae - another round of valuing disgust as a charm.
Crisp yet crunching production with a certain appeal of analog warmth is the only source of comfort you might find on this record, as Pharmacist's world remains repellent in both music and text. From all phlegm-soaked screams to guttural lows, I fully enjoyed the Jeff Walker carbon copy execution of the vocals, and they couldn't have been otherwise. These guys enjoy sounding exactly like themselves, but there's expressly evident introduction of more dynamics to the record compared to before. While tracks like the opener "Propelling Inwards", "Lazure Sphacelation" and "Mimicking the Organics" are mostly relentless in speed and diction, one can notice more melodic the self-titled track and "Endogenica", more reminiscent of the later, melo-death era of... You know, the other band.
There is smartly placed groove across all tracks, and an almost clear breakdown section at the closer "Zenith of Mnemonic Forensication", which features a gorgeous stop-time riff over mid-tempo drums that could be the record's highlight. Vertebrae After Vertebrae feels to me as a more concentrated record from a band that now doesn't aimlessly try to shock and provoke anymore (they have already achieved it), allowing for space to be catchier and more dynamic, but always eventually within great goregrind. It's not going to convert skeptics into liking the sewage, but it surely has the grit and effectiveness of a well-done (pun intended) album of that style.
Release: May 29th, 2026 | Hells Headbangers Records
Website: Facebook
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Boss you know new Dimmu is out tomorrow?
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