The origin of this vile creation known as Autopsy goes back to August of
1987 in Antioch, California, spawned by the meeting of guitarist Eric
Cutler and drummer Chris Reifert, who had recently left the band Death.
The two wasted no time in forming a deadly band with a clear vision of
creating the heaviest, most brutal music possible. Brief tryouts for a
vocalist were attempted but ultimately proved to be futile. In the
interest of moving things along, Reifert took on the job of vocalist
along with drumming, while Cutler would lend his guttural vocals to the
song "Mauled to Death", one of Autopsy's first creations. Inspired by
all things horrific, the band even found its name in the true annals of
horror while reading a newspaper article about the manager of the band
Bloodbath (Danny Coralles' band at the time) being beaten to death with a
lead pipe. The word Autopsy stood out and the moniker was chosen on the
spot. Another outcast from the area, bassist Eric Eigard was brought
into the fold and after a few rehearsals the trio entered ATR studios to
record the 1987 demo which showed exactly what they had in mind for
their mission.
The course had been set and a brutal beginning was underway. The band
promptly sent the demo tape to anyone who would listen to it and soon
the metal magazines were approaching Autopsy instead of the other way
around. This was a fertile time for death metal and Autopsy showed no
hesitation in staking their claim in this brutal new world. Soon after
the release of the debut demo, Eric Eigard left the band and was
replaced by Ken Sorvari on bass. Several local shows were played with
Sadus and Hexx, with one of these being attended by future guitarist
Danny Coralles who was in the process of being talked into leaving
Bloodbath, his band at the time, to join Autopsy by mutual friend Don
Chandler. Coralles showed up at an arranged rehearsal/audition and
quickly showed he was up to the task by displaying his knowledge of the
material from the first demo and learning the songs for the upcoming
second demo to be titled "Critical Madness". The true test came with his
second time playing with Autopsy which was the recording of the demo in
June of 1988. The recording took place at ATR again, and the rest was
history. Copies of both demos were now circulating throughout the
underground and soon enough ended up in the hands of Peaceville Records
owner Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw due to a recommendation from none other than
Jeff Walker of the legendary Carcass.
A deal with Peaceville was struck up straight away and Autopsy was set
to enter Starlight Sound in January of 1989 to record their debut album
"Severed Survival". The one problem that needed to be solved was the
departure of Ken Sorvari, leaving the band without a bass player. Friend
and bass annihilator from Sadus, Steve DiGiorgio was asked to step in
and fill the void which he did with devastating results. The album was
unleashed later in the year and let the world know that Autopsy was a
brutal force to be reckoned with. Death metal would never be the same
again. Shortly after "Severed Survival" was released, Ken Sorvari
rejoined the band and a European tour was booked for early 1990 with
Pestilence, Bolt Thrower and Morgoth. This tour got the message across
more strongly than ever and a rabid following soon developed, elevating
Autopsy's name to levels previously unachieved before that point.
Interestingly enough, Peaceville began to see troubles regarding the
"Severed "Survival" album cover which depicted a person being ripped
apart by meat hooks. At that time, sensitivity to images of that sort
was high and the decision was made to come up with alternate artwork so
distributors could handle this monster of an album. The decision payed
off and another classic album cover was created as a result. "Severed
Survival" was re- launched in 1990 and the path to brutality was cut
even deeper than before. As would be the pattern for Autopsy, bass
player problems plagued the band again as Ken Sorvari was asked to leave
following the European tour. He was replaced by Steve Cutler, Eric's
brother and another European tour was booked, this time with label
-mates Paradise Lost.
Keeping the momentum going, Autopsy entered Different Fur studios in San
Francisco that same year to record the three song "Retribution for the
Dead" e.p. which showcased Autopsy's ability to infuse dark crushing
doom with their already savage brand of death metal. In November of
1990, Different Fur was visited again for the recording of the now
legendary Mental Funeral album. Both "Retribution for the Dead" and
"Mental Funeral" were released in 1991. Around this time, Steve Cutler
left the band and again Autopsy had to figure out how to fill the gap. A
friend of the band, Josh Barohn had previously left Suffocation and
offered to make the trip from New York to California to try out for the
band. He did indeed make the journey, by bus, with one bag and his bass
across his back. Truly the sign of a die-hard maniac. While Josh
adjusted to the Autopsy experience, Steve DiGiorgio stepped in once more
to join forces and play on the "Fiend for Blood" e.p. in September of
1991 at Starlight Sound, to add a third release to Autopsy's catalog for
that same year. In June of 1992, Autopsy went back to Starlight to
record "Acts of the Unspeakable", their sickest and most extreme album
to date. With inner artwork so graphic for the time, Peaceville was
actually raided by the authorities fueled by accounts of obscenity. Autopsy was exploring new ways to make even the most jaded metal fans
cringe while new levels of bizarre songwriting were achieved, to make an
overall disturbing and unsettling album. Again, the bass player curse
reared its head when Josh Barohn left the picture. This would not,
however, be the undoing of the band. A U.S. tour was booked during the
summer of 1993 with Freeway Migliore coming along as a session bass
player. Freeway, being a friend and the drummer for Immortal Fate also
played guitar, so the choice to have him make the switch to bass seemed
logical and worked out quite well. The tour however did not go well and
was to be the undoing of Autopsy. The tour was poorly planned, and with
little or no promotion saw Autopsy driving long distances for low
attendances over a long period of time. Tensions within the band
increased as a result and a rift had formed midway through the tour.
The drive to continue as a group had been drained and the end was
apparent. Refusing to end with a whimper, Autopsy made the decision to
disband only after playing a farewell show in San Francisco and
completing their final album which would be "Shitfun", which was
recorded at San Francisco's Razor's edge in November/December of 1994.
Bass duties were handled by all three members of Autopsy as well as
Freeway Migliore and Clint Bower. This was easily the sickest, most
depraved release from Autopsy. Heavy, disgusting and violent, it
captured Autopsy's sentiments at the time and signified the final
assault upon its 1995 release. Fast forward to September of 2008 and
Autopsy has entered Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California to record
two new songs for the 20th anniversary edition of "Severed Survival" for
its 2009 release. A limited pressing of a 7" single titled "Horrific
Obsession" results as well from the new tracks. This recording was
initially meant to be strictly a special treat to compliment the
occasion and nothing more. Regardless, the classic Autopsy sound was
still as strong as ever and renewed interest in the band began, leading
up to live setting requests and general enthusiasm never before seen,
much of which coming from a whole new generation of rabid death metal
fans.
Finally, after years of vowing that they would never be a band again, Autopsy decides to start performing again and agrees to appear at
several metal festivals in 2010, beginning with Maryland Death Fest.
Long time friend Danny Lilker is asked to play bass for the live
appearances and rehearsals sound more crushing than ever. Joe Trevisano
is then confirmed to take over on bass after the completion of the live
commitments. With renewed inspiration flowing strongly, the members of
Autopsy begin writing new material at a fever pitch as 2010 turns out to
be an incredible year for Autopsy and for death metal. Not only do live
performances begin, but new studio recordings are planned as well as a
documentary DVD, to be released through Peaceville Records. The second
era of Autopsy is officially underway, heralded by a veritable explosion
of blood splattering deathly brutality. Once again, the gore is spewing
forth and the beast that is Autopsy hungers for rotting meat. To quote
the band : "All we can do is offer more brutality....."
02. In The Grip Of Winter 4:08
03. Fleshcrawl 0:35
04. Torn From The Womb 3:18
05. Slaughterday 4:03
06. Dead 3:18
07. Robbing The Grave 4:19
08. Hole In The Head 6:02
09. Destined To Fester 4:33
10. Bonesaw 0:45
11. Dark Crusade 3:53
12. Mental Funeral 0:38
13. Retribution For The Dead (EP, Bonus Track) 3:53
14. Ridden With Disease (Demo, Bonus Track) 4:41
15. Service For A Vacant Coffin (Live, Bonus Track) 3:29
• Danny Coralles: Guitars, Vocals (additional) (tracks 2, 6)
• Steve Cutler: Bass
• Chris Reifert: Vocals, Drums, Lyrics (tracks 1-4, 6-12)
Track 14 from "Critical Madness" demo.
Track 15 live San Pedro, CA, USA 1991.
Produced by Autopsy and Hammy.
All music by Autopsy.
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