HUMANITY IS THE DEVIL CD

Autopsia is one of the few remaining operations to maintain the values of true gothic sound. Unlike a lot of other bands, they still avoid danceability and vampiric drama. This is a band that holds true to the motto printed on the sleeve of this album: "Above all, we are not concerned with music. Our subject is death and the pity of death. The music is in the pity. Autopsia". Where did black nail polish and industrial dancing ever fit in with death? Death rock can save it up, because with bands like this around, as well as other outfits that stray away from mainstream "death rock" or "gothic-industrial" sound, like Dead Can Dance sometimes does, it becomes nearly impossible to capture the essence of morbidity found in Autopsia. One of the best aspects of this album is that the "pity of death" is not over dramatized. This is more like a soundtrack to a film centered around the passing of a single human. Some movements are enlightening, as though we are experiencing the liberation of spirit from body, while some are quite dark and swell with sorrow, like the discovery of a perished loved one. For the most part, the listen is pleasant and very subtle. Thankfully, they avoid the rabid percussion and weeping vocals that makes most music of this genre pretentious. Overly abundant is the sound of pipe-organ and odd, pounding percussion which often sounds like hammers hitting chains, both reflecting the medieval-era influence that sparked the resurgence of this genre in the first place. All in all, this is a step up from previous work by Autopsia, having shed the danceability factor and stepped up the death factor.

Maskatron
KFJC new album review /October, 1995/


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