Autopsy - Ridden With Disease
Review: This summary of two demo recordings covers Autopsy from inception as a heavy/speed metal extreme band to evolution as the grinding, doomy, sickly disharmonious gore metal of their classic work. While the first track shows an epic heavy metal influence in riffing and vocals, this compilation quickly diverges into the more extreme with characteristic guttural ranting and surging, tugging, amputative death metal phrasing. Formative versions of many of the constructions and ideas found on later albums here come forth in unselfconscious form, often to greater momentum.
Early works reveal a Slayer and Repulsion influence that is unsurprising and make the journey astounding to the fully independent metal to emerge over time. Crepitant guitars emphasize extended melodic patterns over churning slowness or vastly raging onslaught. Emetic vocals chant and chortle a vomitous snort of words mangled into repugnant enunciation. Like John Bonham in a concentration camp in hell drums are present but never inconsiderate and strengthen music by becoming an integral part from the inside. Bassy and gaseous, it leeks pus and reeks of death.
Themes unfold from within their basic rhythm motions, encoded directly in order of presentation as an observer might have, moving the audience through moods of slowness, quickness, fear, anticipation and deliverance. Lead guitars follow the pattern of fast wiggling arpeggios that distinguished Swedish death metal of roughly the same time and emphasize space and tonal mood more than decorate. Gut-wrenching and nihilistic in preconceptions of tone and harmony, epic riff-writing elaborates pattern reconstruction in motif development on occasions of lucidity and transcendence of form.
Graced with a cover from banned artist Mike Diana, this compilation addresses the loyalist fanbase of this groundbreaking band with a gratifying spate of original material, and still many lust for more. Before gore metal became a playground for the mentally impaired and self-pitying, this gleeful exploration of carnage and mortality defined an essential pillar of death metal.