AUTOPSY - Morbidity Triumphant

Wait! What? It has already been eight years since the last full album?

With two rancid sick EPs, the short and sweet split single with Bloodbath and a fantastic live record inbetween it certainly didn't feel that long.

Well, still... Rejoice, you maggots! Because Autopsy are back!

AUTOPSY - Morbidity Triumphant (LP) (2022)

Ok, ok, even though Autopsy would certainly be the one if I could only have one death metal band in the world, there's of course a little more to it!

It should surprise absolutely noone that the basic formula of Autopsy remains untouched as it has been since 1989. Between galloping death metal, putridly crawling doom and punkish attitude it has always been rather a matter of balancing these elements differently from release to release that re-inventing the wheel. And that's completely justified, because noone else comes close at driving this specific wheel.

The backbone of Chris Reifert's seemingly chaotically rumbling, but indeed extremely mastered and creative drumming. His sick gargling, screaming, coughing, blood-spitting vocal performance. The signature riffs, twisted harmonies and infamous brilliant lead guitar duels of Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler. All this shit I can never get sick of, and as long as these guys can deliver it still sounding rottingly fresh and having fun doing so, I will gladly take it.

So that's it? No. There's one big noticable change, since with Greg Wilkinson a new bass player has joined the band. His tone is much more sludge devastation than old school death metal - and it's a perfect fit, making Autopsy's sound thicker than ever without sacrificing any of the good old malicious dirt. No, quite the opposite. The new low frequency monstrosity is utilized and brought to the forefront more than once (Behold that breakdown in "Knife Slice, Skin Chop"!) and Wilkinson even scores writing credits on an album that feels rejuvenated (as if these sick fuckers ever grew up in the first place) and displays a great band chemistry.

The songwriting probably is the heaviest nod to "Mental Funeral" since the untouchable classic came out in 1991. That doesn't apply to the opener "Stab The Brain" though, which mostly functions as a more "Acts of the Unspeakable"-orientated fast-paced by-the-numbers-signal that the boys are back. But after that the majority of tracks often goes back to the doomy side and the aforementioned (dis)harmonic signature riffs, which are just so incredibly tasty and poisonous. Just listen to "Flesh Strewn Temple" or even better "Skin By Skin", which both almost overdo it, but hell yes fuck it why not?

No matter where you let the needle drop on this motherfucker, it's always instant uuüüäärrghhh bliss. Autopsy are, have always been and will forever remain the shit, trust me! If you haven't been paying attention to them for a while, "Morbidity Triumphant" is a perfect place to let them into your life for some joyous bludgeoning again.

And do I need to say anything about the cover artwork? No, didn't think so. This is death metal.