The new EP by the British solo death metal act Foul Body Autopsy is entitled Perpetuated by Greed, scheduled for release on February 26, 2016. Consisting of a total of six songs and clocking in at just under 11 and a half minutes in overall length, the EP follows Foul Body Autopsy’s previous EP So Close to Complete Dehumanisation (2014), and his 2013 debut full length Foul Body Autopsy, named after the solo project and the corresponding Necrophagist track.
The first song on the EP is its title track, entitled “Perpetuated by Greed”, the first minute of which is guitar fuzziness before the admittedly expected guitar technicality and the extreme vocals kick in to the track. The pace of the song is quite frantic, particularly alongside the riffing and the instrumental work which is on display. The noticeable usage of both guttural growling and high-pitched screaming vocals is also welcome, especially so early on in the EP.
Following on from the EP’s title track is the song “Enslaved the Rest of Creation” which only lasts approximately one minute in length, and while a lot of good happens over the course of that short duration of time, more could have been done to make the track longer so that it feels like a necessary part of the EP instead of a last minute afterthought, which are the vibes I got somewhat from “Enslaved the Rest of Creation”. However, the track is a decent slice of technical death metal which will please fans of Foul Body Autopsy’s previous work. Track 3 on Perpetuated by Greed is called “Chewed Up by the Machine”. Starting with an instantly catchy and infectious riff which leads directly into the pattern of the rhythm guitar, the song is straight away the most impressive piece of music found on the EP thus far. The vocal performance on this track is particularly noteworthy, with both the sound of the vocals and the way the growling compliments the music being positive. However, just like with “Enslaved the Rest of Creation”, I feel as if the track could have been slightly lengthier.
“Destabilised Perception” comes next, with a slower introduction before the vocals make themselves present on the track. Whereas the vocals were the standout element on the previous track “Chewed Up by the Machine”, it becomes apparent relatively early on that the instrumental section of Foul Body Autopsy gets its time in the spotlight on this song. Some sudden rhythm changes all over the song make the track a quite exciting listen as the speediness of the pace means that you don’t quite know what “Destabilised Perception” will bring next. The penultimate track on Perpetuating the Greed is called “Devoid of Humanity”, with a different form of simplistic guitar work found on this track in direct comparison to what the EP has given the listener so far. This is by quite a considerable distance the shortest track on the EP Perpetuating the Greed, and because of that I question its inclusion when it is only approximately thirty-five seconds in overall length. A guitar solo and another couple of verses to extend the track to at least 90 seconds in duration would have been beneficial.
The final song on the Foul Body Autopsy EP is entitled “Complete Environmental Collapse”, which brings the EP to its conclusion. The track opens with a drum solo, before being joined by the guitar. This particular piece of instrumental musicianship seems to have more in common with thrash metal than it does death metal, but the song does return to its original musical theme of death metal just under halfway through the track. As with the other songs on Perpetuated by Greed, the technicality of the instruments performed by Foul Body Autopsy is worthy of recognition.
Foul Body Autopsy’s new EP Perpetuated by Greed is scheduled for release on February 26, 2015, and is ideal for fans of Nile, Suffocation, Dying Fetus, and the more instrumentally complex work of Cannibal Corpse.