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Sunday Old School: Autopsy

In the world of rock and metal music, it’s quite often we see a singer who simultaneously plays guitar, or sometimes bass, but it’s not often we clap eyes on a singing drummer. Phil Collins in Genesis is perhaps the most famous example and Black Sabbath's Bill Ward was able to multitask on the song, "It’s Alright," but collective hats must surely be taken off to anyone who can perform vocals and drums in a death metal band, but that’s just what Chris Reifert did when he formed Autopsy. Reifert formed the band in the summer of 1987 after leaving Death, for whom he performed drums on their classic album, "Scream Bloody Gore," along with guitarist Eric Cutler. The duo recorded their first demo that same year before recruiting a second guitarist, Danny Corrales, who almost immediately recorded a second demo with the band entitled, "Critical Madness."

The demos circulated around the metal scene and eventually reached the offices of Peaceville Records, who offered to sign the band. The group brought in Sadus member Steve DiGiorgio as a session musician and recorded their first full length album, "Severed Survival." The record was somewhat similar to "Scream Bloody Gore," but was nevertheless praised as one of the best death metal albums of its time, with many important bands in the genre such as Cannibal Corpse and Deicide citing the album as an influence. More...

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