The Headless Ritual by Autopsy

THE US MASTERS OF HORROR 2013 ALBUM OF RELENTLESS BRUTALITY "an undoubtedly daring move and a more than successful one." 8/10 METAL HAMMER One of the early breed of US death metal acts, Autopsy formed in 1987 in San Francisco, & released 4 albums on Peaceville Records - beginning with the classic debut 'Severed Survival' in 1989 - before disbanding in 1995, with members going on to form Abscess. Autopsy triumphantly and officially returned from the grave after a 15 year hiatus with the 2010 EP, 'The Tomb Within'. This was followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album, 'Macabre Eternal' in 2011, to great acclaim, and the band has subsequently remained at the top of the death metal pile since. The band also recently announced their latest studio release, the mini LP 'Puncturing the Grotesque', due for release 26th January 2018. 2013 saw Autopsy return more sinister and rotten-to-the-core than ever with their new studio opus of horror and all-out madness, ‘The Headless Ritual’; featuring the returning quartet of Chris Reifert, Eric Cutler, Danny Coralles, and Joe Trevisano. ‘The Headless Ritual’ is a relentless monster of violent and brutal death metal mastery delivered in the unmistakable Autopsy style of chaotic riffing, insane solos and doom-filled interludes, all served with the band’s unhinged brand of vocal sickness. The album was recorded and mixed April 2013 at Fantasy Studios in California with Adam Munoz, and features cover artwork by renowned artist Joe Petagno (Motörhead, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin). Autopsy notably features drummer Chris Reifert, who began his recording career with US metal greats, Death, before taking on the unusual duty of handling drums and vocals for Autopsy. Autopsy has influenced a whole generation of extreme metal bands, from Entombed and Dismember to Darkthrone, and is among the biggest and most respected names in the genre's history.

6 / 10

8 / 10

After a long sojourn, splat metal heroes AUTOPSY returned to much favor in 2010 with "The Tomb Within" EP followed by their fifth full-length, "Macabre Eternal", a year later. This year, Chris Reifert brings back his clatter and his pukes along with guitarists Eric Cutler and Danny Corrales plus cur...

7 / 10

Autopsy are elders of death metal - their 1989 debut Severed Survival being preceded by few others, and founding member Chris Reifert played drums on Scream Bloody Gore, for fuck's sake! - but for some reason a new Autopsy album doesn't elicit the same breathless anticipation as a new effort by othe

3.5 / 5

A review of The Headless Ritual by Autopsy, available now in Europe and in North American on July 2nd via Peaceville Records. GORE GORE!!