Year Of Metal #014: Autopsy - Mental Funeral

This is our first brush with death-doom, and it’s a smart match on this enjoyably daffy 1991 record. Mental Funeral doesn’t always provide a perfect blend of the two sub-genres, sometimes offering tracks that are all death or all doom, but when they do come together, it’s a neat trick that pulls something different out of both forms. 

“In The Grip Of Winter”, for example, finds a perfect midpoint. The main riff lumbers along, all down tuned and wobbly and doomy, the pace slowing to a crawl as we hit the verse. Monolithic drums, genre pioneer Chris Reifert’s powerful, dread-inducing vocals - so far, so sludgy. But they’re just as capable of switching to a faster style, adding harmonic counterpoints to the guitar lines like a more traditional metal act, even throwing out blistering solos here and there. 

The presentation on display is surprisingly great. Everything about the record is extra, from the delightful cover art to the song titles. But there’s a lot of care put into making sure everything flows together. The record is dotted with sub-minute long instrumentals that set the scene for what comes next. “Fleshcrawl” in particular is super effective in building tension before “Torn From The Womb”, perhaps the most menacing track here. Autopsy completely slip the doom lead for a spell, Reifert going hardcore on the drum kit. 

They can go closer to full doom when they want to. “Dead” is a great grinding effort, and one of the heavier songs. Simplicity and maximalism go hand in hand: the hook is rudimentary, but boy does it sound fat when it’s played by that many guitars at once. 

Best of all is the six minute centrepiece “Hole In The Head”. Better than any other song, this one shows the strength of Autopsy’s cross pollinated approach. This time around the thudding riffs and sprinting drums give way to something close to hardcore, then back to the shred style as the band kicks back into life for the final furlong. While there’s absolutely something to be said for luxuriating in molasses-slow, super heavy doom for an age, the willingness to colour outside the lines gives Autopsy plenty of room to explore. 

It’s not perfect - for me the production’s often lacking, especially on the drums which sound a bit distant. A smidge more heft across the board wouldn’t go amiss. But everything about Mental Funeral is basically a good time, charmingly schlocky, smartly put together, and surprisingly varied.