Interview
What were your personal feelings to be back playing as Autopsy when you entered the studio in 2008 to record the Horrific Obsession 7" songs? Did you expect (or hope) at the time that there would be more to come?
CHRIS - It felt strange because it had been so long but also very good. Things got off to a great start when Danny showed us the 18 year old dried up shriveled apple that he got from the studio during the Mental Funeral recording. It did feel like Autopsy (the music. not the apple) and sounds like Autopsy which is important. Did we think there would be more? Not really, as it was just meant to be a special treat for the Severed Survival 20th anniversary release. We didn't think of the future of Autopsy, it just happened without us trying to force it.
ERIC - To me it felt as if we had never stopped playing, it was really easy to do because it was fun. I always enjoyed playing with Chris and Danny because we had fun with it and could always maintain our sound. We didn't plan on doing anything after the 7" and although I thought it was possible, I also felt it was unlikely to happen.
DANNY - I was surprised and quite pleased we were actually doing the Horrific Obsession 7" We had no intentions and there were no expectations for us to do anything else, But once we awoke the beast, it seems there's no containing it! With the 7", The 20th Anniversary release of Mental Funeral on the horizon, headlining MDF, recording a new 5 song EP, looking forward to headlining PartySan in Germany, and Hole in the Sky in Norway, then back to work on the next and first Autopsy full length in 16 years. It seems Autopsy is at the dawn of its after life and hungers for fresh blood
Did you have an awareness over the years of how important the band was to people? Perhaps you feel that Autopsy was only fully appreciated years after the split?
CHRIS - We had times when the band was first around when things were going very well, but toward the end we started to feel more and more alienated. That's as a band and within the band. Oddly, we really started gaining attention years after we had split up which we could have never seen coming. At any rate we have plenty of new atrocities to throw at you and it's because we want to, as opposed to feeling obligated to.
ERIC - It seemed more people became aware of Autopsy after the band broke up and that increased. Never ending support is what brought the band back together, essentially.
DANNY - We always had a core group of fans who loved us from the start, it’s just that there's so many new kids who weren't old enough to be there the first time around, and it appears the songs stand the test of time. I'm still amazed and somewhat in awe of the fan support Autopsy has achieved.
How did it feel to be back on stage, at Maryland Death Fest, as Autopsy, playing the classic tracks? Did band chemistry come together quickly in rehearsals?
DANNY- It was beyond incredible! Hails to the MDF masses for making the return of Autopsy a raging success. The old chemistry and good times came together easily. Remembering all the crazy twisted riffs was a perplexing mental dilemma and a lot of work, but once we sorted them out, they still sounded brutal and were extremely fun to play
CHRIS - To be back on stage again as Autopsy was fucking amazing. For me, as I looked forward and saw the rest of the band and the audience ahead of them, it gave me an incredible rush of energy. Good stuff, indeed. As for rehearsals, the chemistry never left, only our union as band which is now very much intact again. After we scraped the rust off of the old songs we realized how killer they still sounded.
ERIC - It was really brutal. Rehearsing these tunes was awesome but to play them live again was incredible. The crowd was large and ready to be put on the slab. It felt like old times again.
Autopsy had (& still have) a very distinguishable sound from most death metal bands. What were the core elements that you feel set you apart?
DANNY - A wide variety of influences, having a vision and sticking to it, and when we had low turn outs we never thought is there something we should do different. We play what we want to hear and have a great fucking time doing it! We just want to sound like our raw sick brutal selves.
CHRIS - Following our own path and having good song writing. We never did the stuff that other bands did like go to Morrisound, use Dan Seagrave, trigger up the drums, etc. Everything we did was from our rotten hearts and we put a lot of thought and care into our music. At the end of the day it's the songs that people are going to want to hear, not just the sound of a seven string guitar or pitch shifted vocal or whatever. We successfully avoided every trend out there. Haha!
ERIC - We kind of did our own thing and didn't try to sound like anything but raw sickness. Plug in, turn up, bang hard, ears bleed.
What can we expect from the new EP & album?
CHRIS-100% Autopsy! Killer songs that show what death metal is really supposed to be. The one thing we want to be made clear is that we are not on a nostalgia trip and attempting some cheap reunion. Autopsy has plenty of new horrors to offer and we are here to lay down the brutality. The energy we are feeling from this band is very intense and we are excited to harness that in the studio.
ERIC - New, brutal Autopsy that is going to kill your mama.
DANNY - DeathFuckingMetal!
Any more live plans?
DANNY- Not sure when or where, but the infection must be spread!
ERIC - We're waiting for the Grande Ole Opry invitation. Until I see that Little Jimmy Dickins letter in my mailbox.....
CHRIS - I would suspect that upcoming live atrocities are quite possible. Stay tuned, horror freaks!
…& finally. If you are stranded alone on a barren island, would you take your own advice?
DANNY- Bon Appetit
ERIC - Yes, coconut bong anyone?
CHRIS - You'd like to see that, wouldn't you! You'll just have to settle for seeing Autopsy singing about it for now. Enjoy, sickos!
