REVIEW: Visceral Autopsy – Wallflower [EP/2020]
Artist: Visceral Autopsy
Album: Wallflower – EP
To be a wallflower is to be unobtrusive—to be an otherwise mundane fixture in a busy scene, contributing little but absorbing markedly more. Therefore, it makes sense to extrapolate that those who consider themselves “wallflowers” are similar in nature. Now bear with me here as I take it one step further: when one considers the previously defined “wallflower,” its probably the last thing they would liken to the raunchy display of riveting, punchy deathcore that Visceral Autopsy manifest. While Wallflower has a tactful name, in reality, it is really anything but tactful, offering instead sheer terror crammed inside a sub-ten-minute package. While short, Wallflower is blistering and bold, combining elements of raw aggression with bouncy, groove-heavy metallic influence and vocals that are, in the context of Visceral Autopsy’s primal display of depravity, remarkably unique. In short, Visceral Autopsy’s debut is an EP you likely had no idea was coming, yet, remains an EP you absolutely need to invest ten minutes (or more) of time into.
From the introductory sequence to the record’s opening track, Visceral Autopsy absolutely succeed in captivating the listener with abyssal, aggressive deathcore. As “Decay” continues on, brazen percussion steamrolls a path for lead-lined guitar tones that absolutely flatten the listener. “Decay” is proof alone of this, but considering lead single “Masochist” amplifies that notion tenfold. Where “Decay” is a pure-hearted pissed-off anthem favoring the downbeat, “Misery” is a more moody and catchy cut, using faster-paced percussion to contrast the ultralow guitars and crushing bass. With a low-end that just wont quit, “Misery” into “Masochist” serves as a devastating one-two punch when it comes to Visceral Autopsy establishing a deadly dynamic. Using the momentum built off of “Decay” and “Misery,” the ten-ton breakdowns that define the record’s lead single hit just that much harder, crippling the listener between layers of punishing drumming and perfectly produced guitars that give a gritty, grisly-yet-polished-enough hue to oppress the listener without sounding like it was recorded in a shoebox somewhere in the mid 1950s.
In keeping with Visceral Autopsy’s ability to create a mesmerizing, murderously heavy soundscape, the band’s vocal element is equally as enrapturing. From the opening shrieks of “Decay,” through “Masochist,” the band’s vocal element is, simply, unlike the vast majority of the band’s peers. Sounding something like a grisly, more primal and intonated shrill yell a-la-Barrier or Kingmaker, Visceral Autopsy take the raw appeal from bands prevalent in the mid-2010s-Chicago heavy music scene and give it a decidedly Michiganian gruffness, adding in depth and some technical flair to flow with the band’s more contemporary take on groove-laden deathcore. The result? Not something you’ve likely heard too often. This combines with the catchy vocal patterns and tongue-in-cheek lyrics that define “Misery,” or the back half of “Decay.” Together, these components of Visceral Autopsy give the band a decidedly “metalcore” mindset atop the destructive impact of a modern deathcore act.
Being real, it would be nice to have more than give-or-take ten minutes of full content from Visceral Autopsy as they erupt into the underground heavy music circuit. With that in mind, Wallflower is an absolute success. Crushing, fun, furious and unique enough to sound fresh as opposed to overdone and wrought with predictability, Visceral Autopsy may just be making themselves a staple in a scene in turmoil given the current state of America, heavy music and, well, the world at large.
9/10
For Fans Of: Bodysnatcher, Filth, Barrier, Subtract, Tormentor Absolute
By: Connor Welsh
