Repulsion

Although overshadowed by grindcore titans like Napalm Death and Carcass, Repulsion left a substantial mark on the nascent genre throughout its short-lived peak in the late 1980s. The group’s lone album, the 1986 recording Horrified, positioned its style midway along the developmental spectrum between the proto-grind of Boston hardcore act Siege and the more realized grindcore approach heard on early Napalm Death releases. Repulsion also ranked among the earliest metal outfits to adopt horror- and gore-themed lyrics, thereby inaugurating a practice that later bands would push toward increasingly extreme levels of depravity. Even though the primitive production values and straightforward song structures now seem somewhat antiquated in light of the genre’s subsequent transformations, the music has retained considerable appeal, evidenced by repeated reissues and endorsements from Carcass, John Zorn, Napalm Death, Exhumed, Cattle Decapitation, Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and many additional artists.

The band originated in Flint, Michigan, during 1985 under the moniker Genocide, featuring vocalist and bassist Scott Carlson, guitarist Aaron Freeman, guitarist Matt Olivo, and drummer Dave Grave. In January 1986 the quartet captured its debut demo, Stench of Burning Death. Shortly afterward the name was altered to Repulsion because Genocide was already in use. Later that year Carlson and Olivo relocated to Florida to perform with Chuck Schuldiner in Death, placing Repulsion on temporary hiatus. The arrangement proved unsuccessful, prompting the pair to return to Michigan and reunite with the remaining members for the recording of the Slaughter of the Innocent LP. The album finally appeared in 1989 on Necrosis, the imprint operated by Carcass members Bill Steer and Jeff Walker, under the title Horrified. Olivo had meanwhile departed to enlist in the Army, leading the others to disband. Repulsion reconvened in 1991 without Olivo, who remained in military service, and tracked the Rebirth demo; portions of that material later surfaced on the “Excruciation” 7-inch issued by the fledgling Relapse label. The 7-inch’s reception prompted Relapse to re-release Horrified in 1992. The following year Olivo completed his Army service and rejoined, enabling the band to perform occasional concerts before it permanently dissolved later in 1993. Nearly ten years afterward, in 2002, Relapse issued a further edition of Horrified as a double CD containing an additional disc of bonus material.