Fit for an Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds (2022)^{Release ID: 33369}

Fit for an Autopsy is one of those bands I had never really thought of listening to. Likely because at the time this album came out, I was still quite selective about deathcore. I wasn't up to trying the more brutal bands, or at least sounding brutal in the name, like Fit for an Autopsy. So far, all I heard about their 2022 album Oh What the Future Holds is that apparently they took a more atmospheric progressive direction. Well, seeing how much I love the new Enterprise Earth album, let's not waste any more time...

You have no idea how quickly my interest went up in Fit for an Autopsy's music. Sure, many people have started their FFAA journey with The Great Collapse of The Sea of Tragic Beasts, but Oh What the Future Holds pretty much kickstarted it for me in an instant. Any doubt I have for this band is long gone!

Sounding unpleasant yet beautiful, the opening title intro will have you at the edge of your seat. After some ambient piano, it explodes into an intense barrage of vocals and riffs. "Pandora" is where everything hits full charge. The chaotic rhythms and dramatic melodies fit well together, alongside lyrics like "Too many graves, not enough shovels". Then "Far From Heaven" is more groove-ish in the riffs and drums. The chorus is well-paced, and the song gets more destructive all the way up to a brutal breakdown.

"In Shadows" is absolutely hammering! Nothing but relentless darkness to destroy all in its path. "Two Towers" has more smooth melody before it snaps back into aggressive heaviness. "A Higher Level of Hate" has more frantic riffs, drums, and vocals, all of which make another powerful highlight.

"Collateral Damage" is even more monstrous. You can witness a huge firestorm of blast beats, vocals, and leads, swirling around and burning different lands beneath. "Savages" attacks with savage technicality to headbang to. "Conditional Healing" continues the explosive energy. "The Man That I Was Not" is an awesome 7-minute closing epic. It impresses me with the alternation between cleans and growls. Just like the 7-minute closing epic of that Enterprise Earth album, it is the "best for last"!

This kick-A masterpiece that is Oh What the Future Holds has nothing filler at all and has allowed me to hear the top-notch talent of Fit for an Autopsy. I'm pretty much THIS close to letting it surpass Lorna Shore's Pain Remains as the best deathcore album of 2022. Indeed the future of deathcore holds great promise!

Favorites: "Pandora", "In Shadows", "A Higher Level of Hate", "Collateral Damage", "The Man That I Was Not"

I feel obligated at this point in the year to talk about my Revolution album of the year. Although calling this hardcore is more of a misnomer. Fit For An Autopsy used to be deathcore, but now resemble something closer to technical death metal. It's a very similar career trajectory to Job For A Cowboy. And like with that band, Fit For An Autopsy have gotten better with age, with Oh What the Future Holds likely being the bands best.

Fit For An Autopsy know the art of songwriting and explore this over the unconventional foundation of technical death metal. For every breakdown that is present on "A Higher Level of Hate", "Pandora" and "Savages", each one is given time to breathe and is used as a compositional tool for breakdowns later on in the piece, but also for the technical interludes that exist between the chugging. Even the albums lesser moments like "In Shadows" are still good compositions, but are held back by less than stellar hooks.

Like with all tech-deah/deathcore, I should make a quick note about the production, since that is usually the one thing that pulls albums down for me and Fit For An Autopsy are not about to ruin a perfectly good idea with piss poor production. Each idea is allowed to flourish and plays in tandem with the other instruments. The guitar work here is fantastic and is given a solid foundation by the bass and percussion to solo/chug over. The vocals are likely the weakest part since they rarely deviate from a common mid scream, but that's hardly a big deal breaker for me. The instrumentals are more than enough of an adventure that a steady vocal timbre is a welcome return home so to speak.

Not a surprising release, but one that I was thrilled hear and am still thrilled by almost a year later.

Best Songs: Pandora, Far from heaven, A Higher Level of Hate, Conditional Healing, Savages