Autophagy returns with their debut album.
Formed in 2018 in the United States, the band consisting of Andy (vocals, Vastation), Justin (guitar, Dispossessed), Kevin (guitar, Vastation), Cole (drums, ex-Heavy Voodoo) and Adam (bass, Bedlamite, Burials, ex-Weregoat) released a debut EP that same year, then signed with Pulverised Records in 2022 for the release of Bacteriophage.
The album opens with Infernal Miasma, an ominous introduction which guides us to that mysterious vocal sample, then to Abhorrent Abomination, an as massive as thick composition. The Old School mix gives the band’s sticky Death Metal a suffocating touch, letting energetic riffs bludgeon us during both the frantic parts and the slower ones, just like on Sacrificial Spawn, where screams become more intense while remaining in pure aggressiveness. Leads are slightly more melodic, letting the thick and jerky rhythmic basis offer those catchy tones before Beneath The Moss, Between The Roots goes back to a morbid slowness, quickly crushed by more energetic riffs. The driving sound easily crushes us while driving us to Bacteriophage, the eponymous track, which keeps this raw rage to offer us a new dose of aggressiveness coupled with small interesting accelerations, letting the sound slow down towards the middle of the track, then Eviscerated Remains comes to revive this disturbing atmosphere with haunting riffs. Fiery leads perfectly fit into the massive rhythm of this long track which will end to let Return To Charnal Hall place energetic Crust influences which are perfect for the thick Death Metal’s Old School sounds. The album continues with Becoming and its disturbing harmonics perfectly combined with slow riffs which regularly explode, then it ends with Dawn Of The Endless Plague, a fairly regular and energetic track, and in my opinion the band should integrate it without further delay in their setlists.
Autophagy masters Old School Death Metal’s arcanas, and the band proves it to us with Bacteriophage, a thick and well constructed first album which will please the early fans.
75/100