FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY

A decade ago, after two solid but unremarkable albums, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY blossomed into something special. The recruitment of vocalist Joe Badolato certainly made a big difference to New Jersey's premier deathcore band, but the real evolutionary leap could be found in guitarist and founder Wil Putney's songwriting. Released in 2015, third album "Absolute Hope Absolute Hell" was the real starting point for this band's determined march towards glory. Even today, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY retain some of the deathcore tropes that made them such an instant hit with fans of the genre, but for the last nine years they have been much more than a high-quality placeholder. Musically all-encompassing in a way that most of their peers are definitely not, they have increasingly made records that stand apart from any semblance of scene purity. Much like the similarly vaunted WHITECHAPEL, Putney's crew have become a big deal by being noticeably more creative and adventurous than most of their modern metal contemporaries, and "The Nothing That Is" delights in the continuation of that approach.

Two years on from their last record, "Oh What the Future Holds", FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY are in an even more uncompromising mood. From the opening riff of first track, "Hostage", their seventh full-length oozes nihilistic fervor, and subsequently digs deeper into the horrifying state of things than any previous album. The band's formula remains fluid and malleable, but there is no mistaking the caustic muscularity of the riffs, and despite some bright and shiny clean vocals delivering the song's hook, "Hostage" is as dense and punishing as they have ever been. Later, songs like "Lust for The Severed Head" and "Savior Of None — Ashes Of All" embrace death metal directness, as Putney's never ending pileup of great riffs continues, and his comrades' mastery of the caveman groove becomes more refined and destructive. When it comes to inciting violent mosh pits, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY have already written countless songs that fit the bill, but on "The Nothing That Is", the execution of those heavier moments seems more barbarous and hostile than before.

In contrast, when they think outside the box on the scattershot likes of "Red Horizon" and the closing "The Silver Sun",  FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY pull off the neat trick of sounding more accessible and more intense. Shrouded in the bleak shadows of Putney's artful sound design, with occasional proggy touches and moments of soft-focus respite, these are deathcore songs with vastly more heart, soul and sophistication than the genre's fans have become accustomed to. Badolato's astonishing vocals hammer everything home with force, but there is a touch of melancholy behind the growls, which tidily matches the iridescent greys, blacks and bloody reds of Putney's widescreen production. Although plainly not above indulging in a thuggish breakdown or two ("Red Horizon" has a particularly nasty one to enjoy),  FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY have found new ways to be absurdly heavy. Simultaneously catchy and cudgeling, "The Nothing That Is" is another inarguable show of strength from one of modern metal's most significant bands.