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Review: Autopsy - Mental Funeral
Autopsy
www.facebook.com/Autopsy-Official-162194133792668
Mental Funeral

Label: Peaceville Records
Year released: 1991
Genre: Death Metal

Rating:
5+/5


Review online: April 7, 2008
Reviewed by: Lars Christiansen
Readers' Rating
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Rated 4.84/5 (96.79%) (56 Votes)
Review

I had to laugh the other day upon stumbling across a review for this album. The reviewer in question seemed confused as to why a US band would play a strangely twisted form of Swedish Death Metal. Of course, the absurdity of this confusion is only apparent to those who were unaware that early Autopsy was one of, if not the, prime ingredient that went into creating the bubbling slop pit that was to give birth to the Swedish Death Metal scene in the late 80's. The wonderful thing about Autopsy is the fact that their first two albums in particular still sound as fresh and vital as ever to this every day (hell, even their third platter of marrow-soaked musical chunks Acts of the Unspeakable still sounds pretty damn decent).

Chris Reifert and co. once again continued to plough the furrow that they created with their monstrous debut, pushing the shock horror lyrics of Death's Scream Bloody Gore (which Reifert of course drummed on) to new extremes once again. The sludgy guitars drool forth the viscous melodies of malady, whilst the primeval drum battery mercilessly shreds nerve and sinew from bone with gleeful abandon. Of course, Reifert's insane barks and torturous screams are an indispensable ingredient to the Autopsy sound as a whole, adding an insatiable edge of insanity to the proceedings, gurgling tales of abuse, mutilation and death that are now commonplace for the vast majority of Death Metal.

Though unfortunately dismissed by a handful snobby elitists due to their supposedly 'childish' lyrical content, Autopsy's influence on Death Metal as a whole was every bit as important as the likes of Death and Morbid Angel in my opinion, with this album in particular being right up their with Altars of Madness, Scream Bloody Gore and Dawn of Possession as the originators of pure US Death Metal. To say that this album is essential for any Death Metal fan's collection is an understatement, but never so truly has it said. Now... if we could only get 'em to put Abscess on hold to reform for a few shows....

More about Autopsy...
Review: Dark Crusades (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Macabre Eternal (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Puncturing the Grotesque (reviewed by Bruno Medeiros)
Review: Severed Survival/Retribution For The Dead (reviewed by Chaossphere)
Review: The Tomb Within (reviewed by Larry Griffin)
Interview with Chris, Eric, Joe and Danny on September 17, 2011 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert on January 2, 2013 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with vocalist and drummer Chris Reifert on May 8, 2014 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert on December 17, 2017 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert on October 18, 2022 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
Interview with drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert on October 3, 2023 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
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