OneMetal.com music REVIEW:
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal

Legends. I’d like to leave it there, frankly – if you know anything at all about death metal, you’re more than aware of how essential Autopsy are to the entire scene – but Phil won’t let me write reviews containing only one word, the bully. So, I suppose I had better tell you a bit about Macabre Eternal. The only possible bad thing about this record’s existence is the fact that it sees the definite demise of Abscess, Reifert and co’s post-Autopsy outfit – their brand of hardcore punk-influenced death metal was pretty unique and just as important in its own way, but sadly overlooked by many. After years of Reifert denying that Autopsy would ever reform, they recorded two all-new tracks for the 2009 reissue of Severed Survival, causing a mass simultaneous erection among death metal fans of Guinness World Record scale and much talk about the possibility of more new material. Well, we got an EP last year – The Tomb Within – which it’s fair to say was far from the band’s best work, but given that the band had also promised us a full album I was cautiously optimistic that they’d see us right.

See us right is exactly what they did – Macabre Eternal is a masterful recap of everything that gave Autopsy their much-revered status. Death metal likes to think it has moved far beyond the primitive roar of the early scene, what with all the ‘gravity blasts’ and other technical fripperies it’s picked up along the way, but the fact remains that when you absolutely have to destroy a venue, old school is the one true way to do it and as possibly the overall masters of classic death metal, I’d lay money on Autopsy being high on anyone’s list of “bands most likely to liquidise punters”. Their brand of horror-soaked doomy battering set them apart in the early days and influenced a whole raft of bands that followed, but nobody does it quite like them still – there’s an innate humour laced through their stuff that a lot of their copiers miss altogether, almost as if they’ve taken it too seriously. I know, I know, shocker, right? As if death metal could EVER be accused of taking itself too seriously.

You see, the thing with metal of any stripe is that it’s supposed to be fun. Not funny per se, we’ll leave that to the parody bands and half-arsed pastiches of the likes of Steel Panther, but writing and playing heavy music is legitimately a blast to do, so why not enjoy yourself? Autopsy understand this – the quick cuts between fast and slow sections in ‘Bridge Of Bones’ are testament to the kind of “fuck it” attitude that comes of having a good time whilst writing, for example – and it shows throughout. I honestly think the reason that Reifert and co’s music has stood the test of time so well is directly attributable to this – so much death metal, whilst being technically amazing and fantastically well-played, is also sterile and emotionless and suffers hugely due to that fact. Meanwhile, Autopsy are getting stoned out of their minds, wetting themselves laughing and casually ripping out another all-time classic. So what if you’re not hitting the exact perfect mode during a solo, if it sounds good? The atmosphere is king here, and what a sickly, fetid one it is – very few bands have the ability to actually make you feel physically ill like Autopsy can and do regularly through the course of Macabre Eternal.

None of this is to say that Macabre Eternal is simplistic, far from it. There’s an 11-minute long track, and everything is full of riff after riff after riff after riff after riff after… (you get the idea), but it’s all delivered with more concern for how it sounds over how great other musicians will think they are for playing it, and this is what makes it the vital, exciting record that it is.

Band Website: Autopsy Online
Label Website: Peaceville Records

Bottom Line

Its not perfect, but it IS good, stomach-churning fun and a fine reminder of why Autopsy are so well-loved.