Autopsy - Tourniquets, Hacksaws And Graves

Autopsy - Tourniquets, Hacksaws And Graves (Peaceville Records, 2014)

Autopsy is my favorite death metal band (following by Bolt Thrower and Morbid Angel) and they are delivering the goods once again! After the prosperous comeback “Macabre Eternal” and “The Headless Ritual” they released this new album without warning.

“Savagery” it is savage indeed, it’s like a song left off from Mental Funeral. “King of Flesh Ripped” has that eccentric tribal drumming reminding a bit of Abscess.  Autopsy are masters of their genre, no signs of getting old, or getting tired. Not big experiments, only 12 fucking great tunes and that’s all we need actually. While other bands are trying hard, Autopsy with the members close to the age of 50 are delivering effortlessly this masterpiece of songs.

Riffs are attacking with the ferocious primitive power, the really murky bass, the primeval drumming and the torturing voice is on top as well, as always! The songs are a bit shorter than on the previous 2 records, but there are still a lot of doom elements. Chris Reifert is the man! Throwing away the pretentious technical approach of drumming, he strips down his hammering to the primitive and haunting tribal method.  Fucking bizarre horror atmospheres in “The Howling Dead”, then “After Cutting” brings some shrieks reminding of Chuck Schuldiner’s early vocal work. “All Shall Bleed” is an interlude of some disturbing sounds on guitar, followed by the surprising “Deep Crimson Dreaming”, a kind of death metal ballad? Ok, not quite the song you will dance on your wedding, quite grotesque, but it’s a slow track with some acoustic guitar parts and slow guitar solos. “Parasitic Eyes” is one of the darkest and doomier tracks and maybe the most fanciful guitar themes here as well. The last song carries the band’s name “Autopsy” and it is indeed everything the band is about: a stripped down and filthy approach on death metal, gloom and doom turning then into Abscess-like punk-driven direction, tortured vocals, tribal drumming, darkness. I hope I can catch them live! Amen!

Written by Rob

February, 2015

Rating: 8,5/10