Pharmacist’s Thrash-Leaning of Their New Album Is Powerful » PopMatters

In the tradition of goregrind bands, Pharmacist’s debut, Medical Renditions of Grinding Decomposition, combines their forensic obsessions with a guttural sonic presentation. The messy production is fitting, making the guitar leads ooze with dissonant unease. The grooves are stitched together haphazardly, their erratic shifts between rapid bursts and mid-tempo pacing feeling awkward and disjointed. Much like the works of Pathologist, it evokes the grotesque spectacle of forensic carnage, although their thicker riffing has more in common with Exhumed.

In the goregrind scene, it is nearly impossible to escape the presence of Carcass, and Pharmacist’s debut owes a great debt to Symphonies of Sickness. That is not where the parallels to the great British band end. Pharmacist’s trajectory has not remained static, and their follow-up record, Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds, sees them reach outside of goregrind.

However, instead of the technical and melodic death metal path (and unfortunate rock ‘n’ roll) that Carcass followed, Pharmacist uncover a latent thrash impulse. This tendency is strongly represented in their sophomore album, with its sharper riffs and punchier rhythmic drive owing much to thrash. However, their new record, Vertebrae After Vertebrae, takes it even further.

For Pharmacist, thrash is not solely defined by the frenzied lead work and lightning-fast approach of the 1980s. They are closer to a more modern interpretation of the genre, defined by chugging riffs, heavier rhythmic emphasis, and a catchier approach. “Endogenica” is the most obvious moment of this, with the nearly seven-minute-long track delivering a crushing rhythmic assault. The tightly controlled pacing carries not only modern thrash precision but also a hardcore-informed physicality, where the hooks stand out more prominently. The dense palm-muted riffing reinforces the track’s weight. The same approach gives “Lazure Sphacelation” a more energetic, in-your-face attitude and defines the mosh-driven middle passage of “Bubonic Malacia Bloom”.

Vertebrae After Vertebrae’s thrash-leaning is powerful, and it can be seen as the driving force behind the record. The record’s rhythmic directness and immediate songwriting owe far more to thrash than death metal. However, just as it seems that Pharmacist reach the point of no return and are about to step solely into thrash territory, they pull back. “Propelling Inwards” immediately retreats into a messier compositional flow, its unpredictable rhythms channelling a more primitive violence as the guttural vocals take over. “Mimicring the Organisms” further digs into this fold, its austere approach devoid of obvious rhythmic hooks, and the vocals alternating between cutthroat screams and guttural growls, echoing the vocal dynamic of Walker and Steer.

This push and pull between death/grind and thrash is the conflict at Pharmacist’s core, and it is a nourishing tension. They can pivot between ugliness and immediacy without weakening either impulse. Take the lead work, for example, where the guitars can start in a discordant fashion, their tremolo lines and warped bends spiralling into chaos. Yet at this moment of utter chaos, Pharmacist reshape these eruptions into something vividly melodic. It works because both sides thrive in extravagance, and it is Pharmacist’s ability to ride this conflict that makes Vertebrae After Vertebrae such an exhilarating, if not particularly novel, record.