Biography
Pioneers of Death and Doom Metal

Autopsy Discography               






Autopsy is a Bay Area thrash band formed in Concord, California in 1987. Considered one of the most influential bands from the death metal and doom metal movements, the band has released seven studio albums, four EPs, two live albums and two compilations as well as a pair of DVDs. The majority of the band's music was written by drummer / lead vocalist Chris Reifert with occasional contributions from other band members. Along with Reifert, guitarists Danny Corrales and Eric Cutler have been mainstays in the Autopsy lineup, while the bass duties have been handled by a series of eight musicians.


Autopsy's story begins in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1987. Chris Reifert was a member of the band Death when the band released its classic debut album Scream Bloody Gore. Just a few months after the album hit stores, Death founder Chuck Schuldiner made the decision to move back to his hometown of Orlando, Florida. Reifert decided to remain in the Bay Area because it was a hotbed for the emerging thrash metal movement at the time. He recruited guitarist Eric Cutler and bassist Eric Eigard and released a demo entitled Demo '87 less than 6 months after forming the band. Danny Coralles joined as a second guitarist at the end of '87 and the band released a second demo called Critical Madness. Eigard would only last about a year as Autopsy's bassist, leaving before they released their debut album, and the band would go on to use eight different musicians on bass by the year 2010. Reifert, Corrales and Cutler remained constants in the band's lineup, however taking part in every Autopsy release and tour since.





Autopsy - Reifert, Cutler and Corrales



Based on the promise and raw, innovative new sound displayed on Critical Madness, Autopsy managed to sign a deal with a small, independent British label called Peaceville Records in late 1988. Reifert developed a solid relationship with Peaceville, the home of every Autopsy release to date. With a deal in place, Autopsy entered the studio and began recording its debut record. Three months later, in April of '89, Severed Survival hit stores, thrusting the band to the forefront of the emerging death metal genre. The album is often cited as a source of great influence by bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Entombed and others.


Autopsy returned to the studio in November 1990 to begin recording its second full-length album. The sessions lasted just 6 days, according to Wikipedia, and Mental Funeral arrived in stores the following April. The record included re-recorded versions of two tracks from the Retribution for the Dead EP, released just two months prior. Both illustrated the evolution of the band's sound from straight death metal to a hybrid of death and doom metal. Mental Funeral is widely considered one of the most important recordings in doom metal history, but the story of death metal cannot be told without mentioning it either.




Severed Survival
1989




Mental Funeral
1991



Shortly after the release of Mental Funeral, Autopsy went back into the studio to begin working on another EP, Fiend for Blood, which arrived in stores in early '92. The band immediately went back into the studio to work on their third full length, Acts of the Unspeakable, which hit stores later that year. A difficult US tour followed, during which the band agreed to go their separate ways after recording one final album. Work began on the farewell set at the tour's end, and Shitfun arrived in stores in early '95. The album would be Autopsy's last release of new material for fourteen years. Reifert and Corrales would continue to work together in the hardcore punk band Abscess while Autopsy was on hiatus.




In 2008, Reifert reconvened Autopsy for a short time to record a pair of tracks for a reissue of the band's debut effort. The reunion was short-lived, however, as Reifert and Corrales returned to Abscess. A 2009 performance at the Maryland Deathfest was the only other Autopsy activity until June 2010, when Abscess disbanded and Autopsy was revived on a permanent basis. An EP entitled The Tomb Within was released just three months later, and a new full length, Macabre Eternal, surfaced in May of 2011. A sixth full length entitled The Headless Ritual arrived in 2013, and a seventh entitled Tourniquets, Hacksaws & Graves is slated for release on April 29th, 2014.




Discography


Spanning an impressive 27 years and counting, the discography of Autopsy includes seven full length sets, three EPs, two live albums, a pair of DVDs and numerous demos and compilations. Click Here for a detailed look at the
Autopsy Discography.