Metal Underground.com

Last year, Autopsy returned with “Macabre Eternal,” their first new album in over 15 years, and there was no rust or wear and tear from a long layoff. It was arguably the band’s best album since “Mental Funeral,” and they came across like a refueled unit who needed that time apart to evolve. Continuing to build from the momentum of “Macabre Eternal,” Autopsy has put together “All Tomorrow’s Funerals,” a compilation of all their EPs to date remastered, along with a couple of newly recorded tunes.

It’s a crafty strategy, roping in old fans with the new recordings, while giving fans just coming along a chance to catch up with older material. The compilation is ordered in descending order, from present-day to the early ‘90s. By doing this, there’s a sense of how far the band has come since those early days. Over half of the compilation is material written since the band reunited in 2008. There’s a division that is clear to hear between the songs from this current era of the band, and the ones from the ‘90s.

The older tracks are bolstered by the remastering, yet the content itself is varied in quality. The “Fiend For Blood” tracks haven’t held up well, though Steve DiGiorgio outperforms the rest of the band with his fluid and thick bass playing. At that point, the band was starting to embrace more grind-based songwriting, meaning songs that ditched the murky doom/death pace and went for the throat, like a man sloppily slashing at his first victim. The three “Retribution For The Dead” songs are engulfed in that doom/death style, and still hold up well after two decades.

If having all of Autopsy’s EPs in one collection wasn’t a large enough attraction, “All Tomorrow’s Funerals” features four songs that are part new/part re-recordings. These songs are shorter than almost anything from “Macabre Eternal,” and retain the intensity that ran through the excellent 2010 EP “The Tomb Within.” “Maggot Holes” is a mind-numbing blast of speed with a guttural performance by drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert, and “Mauled To Death” heads from a subdued beginning to a thrilling, vicious slaughter, leaving carcasses and a river of blood in its wake.

“All Tomorrow’s Funerals” is an essential purchase for anybody who just found out about Autopsy after “Macabre Eternal.” People who have been bowing to their feet since the late ‘80s may not be as eager to buy material that has been around for years, though having it all in one package and remastered is a bonus. The allure of fresh songs could be too hard to resist, and there’s no shame in giving in to them by buying the compilation. “All Tomorrow’s Funerals” is not some money-grab, but a way to track the progression, no matter how small or large, Autopsy has made throughout their career.