Deathcore is difficult for me to enjoy more often than not. I enjoy extreme metal in most of it’s forms, but relentless breakdowns just for being as brutal as possible quickly lose their appeal. Enter Fit For an Autopsy, a band who is successfully melding atmosphere and melody with crushingly heavy riffs and now we are getting somewhere!
‘The Great Collapse’ is the band’s fourth studio release and it shows. “Hydra” builds tension from the outset, then quickly launches into monstrous grooves which are overlaid with eerie ringing melodies and frantic riffing. Guitarist and producer Will Putney states that ‘The Great Collapse’ is a reflection on the current chaotic state of mankind’s relationship with the world, and it’s effect both outward and inward, It’s a dark and unsettling record that encapsulates a variety of approaches to aggressive music, and a definite expansion of our capabilities as a band.” This message is immediately presented with lyrics such as “I watched a man die out in the cold he slept on the street… we left him there with nothing to eat, this city is a fucking prison, force fed failure… eat what you’re given”.
“Heads will hang” doesn’t ease up as the riffs continue to hit hard and heavy. However this track does see the introduction of some clean vocals which really serves to drive home the emotionally stirring impact of the words “War is now the will of your God. The prophet’s hands are stained. War is now the will of your God. Heads Will Hang.”
“Spiral” demonstrates not only a mastery of technical riffing, which manages to stay engaging and catchy without getting self gratuitous or boring, but it also takes a step back into an open and almost jazz influenced landscape. It’s during this that the bass hauntingly sets the stage for a melodic solo before climaxing into a pulverizing, blast beat backed crescendo which sees the album draw to a close.
‘The Great Collapse’ paints a bleak landscape with an unsettling view on the current situation of our world and though it is fueled by ferocious riffs and aggressive vocals, I find myself most drawn to the moments where the songs are allowed to breathe and for the listener to really absorb the message, that things right now are not okay. The impressive control of dynamics displayed, place an explosive emphasis on the band’s statement. Full of mature songwriting, lyrics to inspire thought and above all variety, ‘The Great Collapse’ should be given a spin by any metal-head.