Ah Autopsy. No ethereal intros, no fucking around, no polished production – just unadulterated death metal, delivered with near maniacal glee by one of the most committed bands out there. And so it is with Morbidity Triumphant, the band’s eighth album and the long-awaited follow up to 2014’s Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves. Recorded at Opus studios with long-time collaborator Adam Munoz at the helm, and with typically grim artwork from the legendary Wes Benscoter, Morbidity Triumphant is a most welcome return from a death metal institution.
It opens with the pummelling groove of Stab The Brain and it’s immediately clear that little has changed in the world of Autopsy. The atmosphere remains as dense as ever, the riffs chunky and brutal and yet there’s a catchy element to it, courtesy of the interplay between new bassist Greg Wilkinson and drummer / vocalist Chris Reifert. Doom is the order of the day on Final Frost, a slow-paced and menacing piece that performs an abrupt volte-face mid song, as the atmosphere is shattered by a blistering thrash riff. The aural equivalent of the final, fatal chase through a graveyard, Final Frost encapsulates everything that is great about Autopsy in four short minutes. Another track with a ferocious groove, The Voracious One is surprisingly addictive, for all that Chris Reifert attempts to eject his spleen onto the microphone. Slow paced and soul crushing the intro to Born In Blood may be, but don’t let that fool you – waiting in the wings is a full-blooded thrash beast, poised to separate skin from bone. In contrast, the mid-tempo Flesh Strewn Temple is built around a riff that swirls dizzily around Chris’ imperious vocal. An album highlight, it reminds the listener that even this most venerable of bands is capable of a surprise or two, even some eight albums into their lengthy career. It segues directly into the descending riff of Tapestry Of Scars, a track that sees the band veering between doom and death with bug-eyed intensity.
Kicking off the album’s second half, recently released single Knife Slice, Axe Chop is no less abrasive in the context of the album than it is as a standalone (and distinctly NSFW) single. Fast paced and incredibly brutal, it’s easy to see why the band would want to trail the album with this oppressive beast. Next up, Skin By Skin is darkest doom, with just a hint of stoner embedded in its DNA. It opens with some truly ferocious lead, backed by hulking great riffs, and it only gets harder and nastier from there, as the band play with tempos and the listener’s psyche. The charmingly titled, sub-two-minute Maggots In The Mirror is unhinged from the moment it first hammers against the listener’s skull, while Slaughterer Of Souls takes the opposite approach, drowning the listener in a sea of toxic sludge, before deploying a heavier riff for the coup de grace. With your senses having taken a relentless battering, the album comes to an end with Your Eyes Will Turn To Dust, one final trawl through the darkest recesses of the human mind, set to a grinding riff that is as dry and desiccated as the title implies.
Autopsy have never disappointed and Morbidity Triumphant is no exception. From the artwork to the production, the band know how to craft old school death metal and they take in pride in delivering something that they, as fans and foremost, would enjoy. It’s been a long wait, but oh man is it good to have Autopsy back. 10/10
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