Kev Rowland
Here we have the seventh album from New Jersey deathcore outfit Fit For An Autopsy. They have had a remarkably stable line-up wit this being the third album to feature guitarists Pat Sheridan, Will Putney and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" Spinazola. I am not always a fan of deathcore, and there are very few bands within the genre who I will happily turn to, but FFAA is probably top of that small but perfectly formed list. The reason for that is many deathcore bands somehow come across too twee, trying to put in the different elements because they think they ought to, as opposed to where the music takes them. That is not the case here, as FFAA always know the right time to drop, the right time to groove, when to add real melody, or space, for Badolato to totally change his singing style. The result is music which gets heavier the more it is played as they have this innate knowledge of the need for contrast and that music can only get heavier when there is a contrary approach for it to be pitched against.
The artwork may be a somewhat retrograde step from the last two releases, but musically they have kept moving in the same direction with high octane music which is brutal yet accessible, bludgeoning but with a hint of velvet around the sledgehammer as they move into nu-metal with some tracks which would not sound out of place with Slipknot. They are taking deathcore to the extremes, and it is no surprise to see that yet again they have managed to achieve some chart success as this has class throughout. This is one of the bands on my “must see” list so let’s hope they manage to find New Zealand on a map, and given the reception bands like Slipknot have had when they make it here (supported by Machine Head, I was in heaven!) it would be truly worth their while.
