Artist: Pharmacist
Country: Japan
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2026
From the moment the band burst onto the scene, Pharmacist became an absolute crowd-pleaser for anyone who considered themselves a fan of the Death Metal/Grindcore crossover genre. With countless releases (and re-releases) on just as many formats via labels such as Bizarre Leprous Productions, Grindfather Productions, Gurgling Gore, Fat Ass Records, Nuclear Abominations, Sevared Records, Black Hole Productions and Hells Headbangers Records, it wasn’t hard to come across this Japanese duo at some point. And although it’s certainly not always necessarily a sign of quality when labels flock to a band like flies to a turd, in the case of Pharmacist it’s understandable that many labels wanted a slice of this Grindcore phenomenon.
Anyone who’d heard the band before knew straight away where Pharmacist got their inspiration from: Carcass. And even more Carcass. In Pharmacist’s early stages, the duo had an even more prominent raw sound reminiscent of the earliest work of the British Goregrind pioneers, but just like Carcass, Pharmacist has evolved. Partly by making the sound even more their own, and partly through an increasingly better production. On this latest release, ‘Vertebrae After Vertebrae’, another step forward has been taken in this regard.
In other words, ‘Vertebrae After Vertebrae’ doesn’t sound like ‘Heartwork’, but there are already certain passages, rolling riffs and, particularly in terms of the vocals, that clearly have more in common with ‘Heartwork’ than with ‘Reek Of Putrefaction’, Carcass’s 1988 released revolutionary musical milestone. A more profound Death Metal sound makes this third full-length album a punchy affair that is as dynamic as it gets, with those grinding riffs, groovy parts, thunderous drums and especially the dual-vocals no song sounds remotely dull. Or repetitive. Even when the album’s length approaches the 40-minute mark and this has literally been done hundreds of times.
The latter is particularly interesting. This formula is almost as old as Extreme Metal in general with a couple of bands pushing those boundaries back in the late 80s, but it is remarkable how fresh a good band can still make this particular style sound. With an impressive body of work, both in terms of volume and quality, and this new album under their belt, Pharmacist have definitively established themselves as a band to be reckoned with. Perhaps not quite on a par with Necrony, General Surgery or early Exhumed, but they certainly rank among the finest acts in the contemporary Death/Grindcore scene.
