Autopsy – Morbidity Triumphant
Peaceville Records
Release Date: 30/09/22
Running Time: 41:26
Review by Paul Hutchings
9/10
“The moment has finally arrived for a new full length Autopsy album to slither out into the public and people will have to deal with it. Buckle up, it’s a raw, rough, and ugly ride!” So says Chris Reifert, founder member of US Death Metal legends Autopsy. And how right he is.
The return to the studio for the first time with new material since 2014’s “Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves” is something that Autopsy fans the world over have been anticipating for a long time. Whilst the band out of Oakland, California have been present in the world of Death Metal since the genre classic “Severed Funeral” way back in 1989, it’s been a good while since we’ve had new material.
The good, nay, fantastic news is that “Morbidity Triumphant” is as gnarly and ferocious as Autopsy should be in the 41 minutes that they blast through your eardrums. There are few like these originators of Old School Death Metal and within seconds of the opening track ‘Stab the Brain’ there should be a big smile on your warped face as the band open up the wall of bruising riffs in genuinely gnarly style.
The riffs are relentless, the punishment intense as Autopsy flex those Death Metal credentials. The band have welcomed bassist Greg Wilkinson to the fold, replacing long-time member Joe Allen, Wilkinson’s low-end brutality in evidence from the start as he locks in with drummer Reifert.
The result is a mauling, a lesson in savagery that never ceases. Even when Autopsy slow things down, as they do for segments of ‘Final Frost’, the brooding malevolence swirls like a sinister mist, intent on damage. It’s besting after besting here as each track pummels and punishes. There’s a ferocious groove on ‘The Voracious One’, the band stomping their Metal boots in a darkened pattern of pure intimidation.
It may only be Autopsy’s eighth album, but it snarls and growls with aggression, and no little skill. For the long-term fan, “Morbid Triumphant” is likely to be greeted like a long-lost friend, whilst for those gently dipping the toe into the water, it’s the perfect place to start.
Instantly distinguishable amongst their peers, the sheer crushing raw yet organic sound is something few can challenge. There’s even a whisper of melody on the likes of ‘Flesh Strewn Temple’, with its more balanced, less maniacal rhythm and pace. The lead work of Cutler and Coralles is off the chart, they visceral breaks slicing through the blistering pace as well as the slower, doom-filled elements. They puncture skin and flesh, whilst Reifert once more astonishes with his guttural growls and screams that belie the fact that live, he’ll be laying down the blastbeats as well as singing.
The gruesome elements remain intact. The ballistic aural assault of ‘Knife Slice Axe Chop’ is as fast as anything you’ll hear this year, and it’s followed by the harrowing fuzzed up Skin by Skin’, which suffocates with its funeral pace and crushing heaviness. By the time you get to the final track, the colossal ‘Your Eyes Will Turn to Dust’, there should be no energy left in you.
Overall, it’s a bruising, brutal and immense piece of work, with a stunning album cover, by Wes Benscoter (Slayer, Bloodbath). Possibly the Death Metal album of 2022, “Morbidity Triumphant” is certainly a worthy contender and one that any respecting Death Metal fan will be anxious to obtain.
‘Knife Slice Axe Chop’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Stab The Brain
02. Final Frost
03. The Voracious One
04. Born In Blood
05. Flesh Strewn Temple
06. Tapestry Of Scars
07. Knife Slice, Axe Chop
08. Skin By Skin
09. Maggots In The Mirror
10. Slaughterer Of Souls
11. Your Eyes Will Turn To Dust
LINE-UP:
Chris Reifert – Vocals, Drums
Eric Cutler – Vocals, Guitars
Danny Coralles – Guitars
Greg Wilkinson – Bass
LINKS:
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