Death-metal mavericks Autopsy have returned, clawing their way back from the grave after lying dormant for well over a decade. Sicko drummer/vocalist and all-around brain trust Chris Reiffert has reanimated his fellow psychopaths Danny Corrales (guitar) and Eric Cutler (guitar/vocals), adding new member John Trevisano (bass) to bring the shambling and putrid terror that is Autopsy back to turgid life for the new album MACABRE ETERNAL.

This hungry beast wastes no time in going straight for the throat, either. “Hand of Darkness” face-kicks things off with a rage, as rapid-fire drum work drives hyper-hectic guitar, puncture-ated by lyrics straight out of a Tipper Gore nightmare. Other songs, like “Bridges Of Bones” and “Always About To Die” see Autopsy doing what they do best, which is slam their way through riff after bludgeoning riff, while “singing” about subject matter with lyrics that read like the plotline of a long-lost Fulci movie. One particularly eerie track, “Dirty Gore Whore,” has the grue crew casually narrating the physical dismantling of one very unlucky victim, sans any overt screaming.

These vocals are puked up rather than shouted, a voice moaning and groaning in your ear with fetid breath, serving to up the creepy quotient exponentially. It’s music that will make your skin crawl. The title track is the band’s manifesto, and is likely to induce some very vicious headbanging and limb-endangering thrashing in a live setting. Hopefully, these maniacs can help to lead the lost masses of mall-metal zombies back to music with its roots truly planted in the graveyard. It’s a strong year for the old guard, with the Autopsy boys and their peers Necrophagia (featuring über-horror fanatic Killjoy on vocals) both releasing albums after some seriously extended leaves. (Fans may remember a band called Ravenous that featured both Killjoy and Reiffert as well.)

Autopsy have arisen once again, and are spreading their stench of decay among a stale, confused and misdirected metal scene. True horror never dies—and Autopsy is the true definition of MACABRE ETERNAL.

Buy or die!

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