UMUR
"Shitfun" is the 4th full-length studio album by US death metal act Autopsy. The album was released through Peaceville Records in September 1995. "Shitfun" was already recorded in Nov/Dec 1994 though. It was the last album released by the band until they reunited 2009 and a couple of years down the line released "Macabre Eternal (2011)". At the time of the release of "Shitfun", Autopsy had already disbanded and several of the members went on to form Abscess. For most of the recording sessions for "Shitfun", Autopsy functioned as the three-piece of Chris Reifert (Vocals, Drums, Bass), Danny Coralles (Guitars, Bass), and Eric Cutler (Guitars, Bass), but with some additional bass tracks being played by Freeway Migliore and Clint Bower. Both guests would be part of the early Abscess lineup.
Stylistically "Shitfun" pretty much continues down the filthy, old school US death metal path of "Acts of the Unspeakable (1992)", but still manages to sound vastly different from it´s predecessor. Not so much because of the music itself, but as a consequence of the very different sounding production. Where "Acts of the Unspeakable (1992)" features a rather thin sounding production, "Shitfun" features a dark, brutal, and rather meaty sounding ditto. The tracks alternate between faster deathgrinding parts, mid-paced death metal sections, and crushingly heavy/doomy parts. It´s often very simple, almost punk oriented, but Autopsy always incorporate little details to keep the listener interested throughout. The lead guitar work is for example very intriguing, and often the icing on the morbid cake. If you hadn´t guessed it by looking at the disgusting and perverted cover artwork, songtitles like "Humiliate Your Corpse", "I Sodomize Your Corpse", and "Shit Eater", should tell you that Autopsy is still as twisted and gore obsessed as always. This time around with an even more sick sexual twist.
The musicianship is a story in itself. Autopsy is just about the epitome of organic played old school death metal. The playing is skillful yet delivered with a great loose organic feel, that transports the listener right into the rehearsal room with the band. Chris Reifert´s growling vocals are relatively intelligible, and delivered in his usual deranged style, but it´s his drumming that deserves a special mention more than anything else. He is simply the master of this style of drumming. The other guys are well playing too.
The above mentioned sound production is very well sounding and brings the best out in the tracks. So upon conclusion "Shitfun" is a great death metal release by Autopsy. At 21 tracks distributed over a 55:38 minutes long playing time, the album is a bit too long for it´s own good, but taken track by track, there is a lot of quality to be found here. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.