Post Mortem (band)
| Post Mortem | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Boston |
| Genres | Death metal, hardcore punk, thrash metal |
- Not to be confused with the German death metal band Postmortem.
Post Mortem was an American death metal[1] band, formed in 1982 in suburban Boston. They formed when the members of the band were still in high school. The band rehearsed every day, often rushing home to write music after classes. John McCarthy penned the personal songs while drummer Rick McIver wrote the gore lyrics. John Alexander helped write most of the songs. “Our whole concept was that we honestly didn’t give a fuck. That’s why we’re lumped in with punk rock as well as metal,” McCarthy said, adding: “It’s much better to piss off people who think they’re pissed off than to piss off your grandma or your mother or your father.”
Post Mortem’s debut album, Coroner's Office, was released in 1986. Coroner's Office continues to find new listeners and is now as remembered for its unusual styling and flirtation with jazz and punk. The album proved very influential, as it brought musical experimentation common in metal among bands like Cephalic Carnage and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
The band consists of John McCarthy (vocals), John Alexander (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), and Rick "Ricky Magic" McIver (drums). Contrary to popular belief, Post Mortem were not named after the Slayer song, which was released in 1986. Post Mortem helped pioneer the underground subgenre of death metal.[2][3][4][5][6]
Many metal bands have acknowledged the influence of Post Mortem, like Cianide,[7] Grief (who covered the entire Coroner's Office album), Disharmonic Orchestra, who covered "(It's Just) A Thought",[8] and Anal Cunt (who covered Post Mortem's "1066").
Members
Founding members
- Norman McIver - Vocals
- Tom Nelligan - Guitar
- Mark Kelley - Bass
- Rick "Ricky Magic" McIver - Drums
Current members
- Mirai Kawashima - Vocals
- John Alexander - Guitar
- Mark Kelley - Bass
- Rick "Ricky Magic" McIver - Drums
Noteworthy Past Members
- John McCarthy - Vocals (deceased 2009)
- Seth Putnam (Anal Cunt) (deceased 2011)
- Michelle Meldrum (Phantom Blue and Meldrum)
- Rich Goyette - Guitar
Discography
- 1982 "Run Amok" Cassette
- 1983 "Punk After Death" Cassette (Recorded in 1982)
- 1985 "The Dead Shall Rise" Cassette
- 1985 "Death to the Masses" Cassette
- 1986 "Turkey on Your Nose..." Cassette
- 1986 "Speed Metal Hell II" Various Artists
- 1986 "Thrash Metal Attack!" Various Artists
- 1986 "Coroner's Office" Debut album (Recorded in 1985)
- 1987 "The Missing Link" EP
- 1988 "Beatings are in Order" Full-Length Album
- 1989 "Festival of Fun" Full-Length Album
- 1990 "Ring Around the Rectum" Single
- 1990 "Seasoned NoSalt Makes My Beef Stew Taste Like My Beef Stew" Single
- 1991 "Killed by the Machinery of Sorrow" Compilation CD
- 1993 "Destined for Failure" Full-Length Album
- 1994 "Court Metrage" Various Artists
- 1995 "Convolutions" Full-Length Album
- 2007 "Deterioration of the Flesh" Live and some previously unreleased material
- 2009 "Message from the Dead" Full-Length Album
References
- ↑ USA Today: "band that emerged from Belmont High School in the mid-1980s and helped pioneer the underground subgenre of death metal"
- ↑ USA Today
- ↑ weeklydig: "one of Boston’s Metal Pioneers"
- ↑ Boston Globe: "helped pioneer the underground subgenre of death metal"
- ↑ Boston Herald: "if the city could claim one pioneer band in the genre, it was Post Mortem"
- ↑ New Renaissance Records: "Pioneers of death metal"
- ↑ Interview with Mike from Cianide: "Coroner's Office is a fuckin' classic!"
- ↑ Disharmonic Orchestra, Mind Seduction, on Metal Archives