Autopsy

American death metal/gore masters Autopsy have returned from their 15-year hiatus with their new EP, The Tomb Within. The original trio of Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler are joined by bassist Joe Trevisano (ex-Abscess) and the EP's five new tracks come pretty close to being as awesome as those on their classic 1991 album, Mental Funeral. Although not exactly a return to form, and not as groundbreaking as their early releases, The Tomb Within sounds as if Autopsy never left. The EP surpasses all of the Abscess material, which became Reifert and Coralles's main project after Autopsy originally disbanded. With manic energy, The Tomb Within is 15 minutes of thoroughly enjoyable death metal; it's overwhelmingly relentless from beginning to end, especially on the speedy "Seven Skulls." Even "Mutant Village," which slows the pace a bit, is intense and visceral. It's a solid release and hopefully a preview of what we can expect from their upcoming full-length, Macabre Eternal, which will mark their first studio album in 16 years.