It didn’t even take a year for Autopsy to return.
While their ninth album last year confirmed the legendary American band’s strength and reputation, Chris Reifert (drums/vocals, Static Abyss, Siege of Power, ex-Death), Eric Cutler (guitar/vocals, Necrosic, ex-House by the Cemetary), Danny Coralles (guitar, ex-Abscess) and Greg Wilkinson (bass, Brainoil, Deathgrave, Static Abyss, ex-Laudanum) are back with Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts, their tenth album, released by Peaceville Records.
The band immediately attacks with the furious sound of Rabid Funeral, which lets sharp riffs mingle with effective blast while including a few moments of madness, whether on guitars or in morbid vocals. The sound slows down to create an oppressive finale before letting the short Throatsaw surge forward at full speed, lacerating us thanks to an energetic rhythm and assertive Old School influences. The disquieting slowness resurfaces on No Mortal Left Alive, a composition placing some faster parts in a wave of dark dissonance, creating a contrast with this almost playful rhythmic base that again becomes more haunting before Well of Entrails unveils majestic tones. Doom roots are very present in the first part of the track, before finally letting Death Metal express itself with the devastating explosion, then changing completely with Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts, the eponymous track, and its heady harmonics. Raw strength is never far away with the musicians, but the track ends with a soothing clean sound, followed by Bones To The Wolves, which immediately adds the sinister touch with its sharp overdriven leads. The next track, Marrow Fiend, is slightly more melodic, with a catchy rhythm that accelerates and slows down very naturally while being still fairly accessible, while Toxic Death Fuk quickly becomes more abrasive and jerky, letting the band integrate aggressive screaming leads. Lobotomising Gods will once again see the band slow down to create a heavy atmosphere, but the furious riffs are never far away to continue bludgeoning us, as on Death Is The Answer, which starts with this aggressive approach, and is only leaves to let the second part of the track crush us. The finale ignites once more, then Coagulation takes on some interesting heavy influences, which the band combines with its aggressive sound, no matter how fast, to bring the album to a close.
With such a quick return, one might have feared the worst. But let’s not forget that we’re talking about Autopsy, and their legendary efficiency! Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts has nothing to envy its predecessors, and it will crush you.
90/100