Sunday, April 1, 2012

Countdown to MDF X: (53) Autopsy

Autopsy closes out Thursday of the 2012 Maryland Deathfest. This pioneering death metal band came together in 1987 when death metal was in it's infancy. The group's current line up includes original members Chris Reifert, formerly a drummer for Death, and guitarists Eric Culter and Danny Coralles, along with Joe Trevisano on bass, who joined in 2010.

This California group played for several years between the late 80s until the mid 90s, disbanded for a while and then reformed for the 2009 MDF. Musically, Autopsy is pretty much the template for death metal, characterized by forceful growling vocals, slightly thrashing drums, and heavily distorted guitars punctuated by "invisible orange" inducing solos. Some of their songs even dip into the doomy and sludgey, but pretty much this is the death metal your big brother warned you about.

Lyrically the topics run the gamut for disembowelment to death to corpse rape. You can take their lyrics however you like, seriously or mockingly or as a commentary on our depraved society. It is death metal after all so what do you expect. Musically, I dig this group a lot. It is definitely head-bang-worthy. You won't find me singing along. An exception might be the song below, "Always About To Die," from Autopsy's most recent full-length recording Macabre Eternal released in 2011. The lyrics are poignant because, shit, they are so true!

"In your sleep or on your knees
Killed in health or by disease
Doom bound train is on your track
Feel your mind about to crack
We are always about to die"



No comments:

Post a Comment