“The moment has finally arrived for a new full-length Autopsy album to slither out into the public,” Chris Reifert says about their latest offering Morbidity Triumphant, “and people will have to deal with it. Buckle up. It’s a raw, rough and ugly ride.” But if you’ve gotten this far, than your reaction will be the same as mine. Bring it on!
Autopsy – Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville Records)
Release Date: 30 September 2022
Words: Jools Green
The prospect of hearing Chris snarling his way through eleven tracks of invigoratingly raw Death Metal is a welcome one, given the eight year gap since the last studio full length Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves. Although there has been plenty of live, splits and compilations as well as the 2015 EP Skull Grinder to tide us over, but it’s good to have some fresh meat to gnaw on.
Morbidity Triumphant is unmistakably Autopsy to the core. Raw, dark and sadistically warped as always, with one new element. The line-up of Chris, Eric, and Danny is joined by Greg Wilkinson, who worked with Chris in one of his other bands, Static Abyss.
“Working with Greg on the Autopsy record was totally different than the Static Abyss one,” Chris said, “mostly since Autopsy is a complete band with their own pre-established ways of doing things. We just abducted him into the band and had him roll with our ways, which he took to like a fish to gasoline. So much so that he contributed a song musically which fits in perfectly with the rest of the sickening anthems on the album.”
One of the most engaging qualities of their sound is their ability to switch from full-throttle Death Metal insanity to groove-rich Doom in a heartbeat and back again. With the insane-paced elements of the tracks heavily garnished with squealing leadwork bursts, this is the format for most tracks on this release.
To grab your attention, opener Stab The Brain breaks into that insanity from the offset. In contrast, Final Frost, Flesh Strewn Temple, Tapestry Of Scars, Slaughterer Of Souls, all take a slow, dark and ominous approach to open. With closer, Your Eyes Will Turn To Dust absolutely mastering this and the line “Your Eyes Will Turn To Dust” is delivered with menacing clarity, moving to a groovier pace before breaking into that obligatory full throttle assault.
Born In Blood takes on a doomy start breaking into a d-beat gallop, delivering tortuous screams in the slower closing segment. Skin By Skin also goes for the crushingly Doom-rich approach to open and in the slower elements with a subtly groovy undercurrent, for the first half, enhanced by snarling vocals and deranged laughter, one of my favourite tracks.
Knife Slice, Axe Chop, may be a short piece at under three minutes but it’s a track of two distinct halves. An ominously doomy piece until the last forty seconds when it becomes an all-out insane-paced Death Metal race to the finish line. The short sharp Maggots In The Mirror is full tilt from the offset to the close with the obligatory squealing second-half leadwork.
The wildcard track and another favourite with me, The Voracious One, is dark but groovy, hugely engaging and doesn’t break out into the insanity of the other tracks but takes on a slightly psychedelic feel with squealy leads that are more restrained.
The cover artwork appears courtesy of Wes Benscoter (Slayer, Bloodbath). “Wes delivered another stunner,” Chris says. “What a maniac! We didn’t give him much to work with as usual. I think, maybe, just a couple of song titles and themes maybe, and his imagination did most of the work. The album title came along after the fact. After having our minds blown by Wes’ art, we arrived at Morbidity Triumphant, which seemed to fit the theme of the painting as well as the way we feel about the state of the band in general.
“We’ve been working hard at our sick craft with zero compromises and it seems we’re still hitting our stride somehow.” Anyone who has followed Autopsy for the last three decades or so will no doubt agree with the final part of that comment.
Morbidity Triumphant will be available in the following formats; CD, black vinyl LP, limited edition violet coloured LP exclusive to the Peaceville label stores, as well as other colours available in various territories, cassette and digital download.
