Review by illusionist for Autopsy - Mental Funeral (1991)
Mental Funeral is one of those iconic albums in the canon that any burgeoning death metal fan will quickly learn about. It's an impossible album to forget once you've been exposed to it in one form or another.
Whether because of the monstrous green multiheaded creature (that cover was seared into my memory before I ever check out an Autopsy song) or because of the filthy macabre of the general sound, you will remember it.
Autopsy made a big impression with this release, pushing death metal to new extremes. They weren't aiming for new extremes of speed or technicality or blunt brutality like many of their peers of the era though. Instead, Autopsy expanded our concept of how sick and nasty and, well, "fleshcrawly" death metal could sound. For this reason, they are often considered progenitors of the Death/Doom hybrid subgenre and this seminal release of theirs has stood the test of time as a major landmark and classic.
How does it hold up as a pure listening experience in today's context though?
Very well! Thirty years later, and I daresay few bands have matched the feel Autopsy create on this album. The production remains perfect. It's clear and balanced, every instrument powerful. The guitar tones are dirty, and Chris Reifert's drums somehow sound demented in their own right, like the hits simply must be on skulls and human skin rawhide drums. When the two instruments rein in the chaos and synchronize into one of their deliberate riffy grooves, it sound like demons are pounding their staffs on the ground as you slowly march into hell (see: "Torn From the Womb").
Like any album whose main appeal is its texture and sheer visceral sound, Mental Funeral has some songs that create this effect better than others and a few expendable tracks. Fortunately, unlike many bands in this subgenre, Autopsy have the songwriting chops to create just enough diversity between the songs to prevent the album becoming one big blur of sameness. For example, "Dead" is unique in that it has spoken vocals and is centered around a repeated clean guitar lead (still an evil-sounding one, mind you) rather than dirty riffs, and "In the Grip of Winter" has that funky off-kilter riff and doomy section. It would have made a much stronger opening than "Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay", which is one of the more forgettable tracks.
TL;DR - Mental Funeral is a step or two below the ultimate masterpieces in death metal and a bit one-dimensional, but it is always a fun listen that doesn't overstay its welcome. It's dark and gruesome and it revels in the fact for its half-hour duration, with plenty of memorable dirty riffs and awesome-sounding drums. Should be part of every self-proclaimed death metal fan's collection.
Favorite Songs - In the Grip of Winter, Torn From the Womb, Dead