Interview with Chris of Autopsy 2010
By Bradley Smith

Can you discuss the recent Reformation of Autopsy?  As I understand it, you are making sure that this isn’t a cheap comeback or a reunion for the sake of nostalgia.  What was the experience like during your performance at the Maryland Death Fest?  How was the crowd’s reaction?

THE REFORMATION OF AUTOPSY, EH? THAT THING WE SAID WE'D NEVER DO BUT DID ANYWAYS.  WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OUR MINDS!  HAH!  THE TIME WAS RIGHT AND WE ALL FELT IT SO THE BEAST WAS LET OUT OF THE CASKET TO WREAK HAVOK AND GORE.  NEW MATERIAL INSTANTLY FLOWED LIKE BLOOD FROM A SEVERED VEIN.  THIS IS WHAT SEPARATES AUTOPSY FROM LOTS OF BANDS WHO REFORM TO JUST PLAY THE OLD STUFF OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT IF THE SPIRIT IS FULLY INTACT, BUT WE FEEL WE HAVE MORE TO OFFER IN THE WAY OF NEW ATROCITIES.  WE ARE NOT HAPPY TO JUST REFLECT ON THE PAST.  THE POWERS OF DARKNESS AND HORROR HAVE A SOLID GRIP ON THIS BAND AND WE NEED TO LET THE BRUTALITY FLOW SO WE DON'T EXPLODE AND LEAVE A MESSY STAIN ON YOUR MIND AND CARPET.  THE MARYLAND DEATH FEST EXPERIENCE WAS INCREDIBLE AND EVEN BETTER THAN WE'D HOPED FOR.  IT WAS PRETTY DAMN AMAZING TO NOT ONLY SEE ALL THE OLDER DIE HARDS OUT THERE, BUT ALSO A WHOLE NEW CROP OF MANIACS WHO WEREN'T EVEN BORN WHEN WE STARTED PUTTING RECORDS OUT.  THREE THUMBS UP IN GENERAL.

Your new EP, The Tomb Within is about to destroy the world in a wave of gore-drenched death metal.  Can you give me a little insight as to what the EP will be like?  How was it being in the studio and recording those tracks as the mighty Autopsy once again?

REGARDING INSIGHT, IT WILL BE PURE 100% AUTOPSY AS IT SHOULD BE.  SOLID, HEAVY, HORRIFIC SONGS THAT MAKE YOUR BRAIN CURDLE.  WE ARE CHANNELING METAL FROM THE DARK BEYOND AND ARE QUITE PLEASED WITH IT.  AS FOR BEING IN THE STUDIO, WE ARE ON THE VERGE OF ENTERING AS I ANSWER THIS.  IF THE REHEARSAL ROOM IS ANY INDICATION OF WHAT'S TO COME, PEOPLE WILL BE GRIEVIOUSLY INJURED UPON LISTENING, OR AT LEAST BE INCLINED TO FEVERISHLY TURN THE VOLUME KNOB UP TO LUDICROUS LEVELS.  WE ARE AIMING FOR SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION IN AS MANY INSTANCES AS POSSIBLE.  WHO DOESN'T LOVE THAT?!

Can you journey back a ways and relive for a minute your Final show?  What was that like? What was the mood in the band and in the scene at the time?  Do you feel Autopsy was getting the recognition it deserved at the time?

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE GOT A DECENT TURNOUT AT A LOCAL SHOW.  I GUESS IT TOOK US LETTING PEOPLE KNOW IT WAS THE LAST CHANCE FOR THEM TO SHOW UP.  HAHA!  THE MOOD WAS GOOD SINCE WE DID INDEED GET A GOOD CROWD AND WE FELT IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO COMPLETE THE MISSION.  OF COURSE 'SHITFUN' WOULD BE THE ROTTEN CHERRY ON TOP THE FOLLOWING YEAR, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.  DID WE FEEL WE WERE GETTING PROPER RECOGNITION AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME?  ABSOLUTELY NOT. THE U.S. TOUR THAT PRECEDED THAT SHOW WAS A DISASTER AND WE WERE FEELING PRETTY DISILLUSIONED AS A RESULT.  HOWEVER, BEING THE DIE HARD DEATH METAL FREAKS THAT WE ARE, WE FORGED ON AND DELIVERED OUR SICKEST STATEMENTS TO DATE AS A FINAL INFECTED FIST IN THE FACE BEFORE BOWING OUT.

In the not too distant past there was the 20^th anniversary of Severed Survival.  How did that milestone strike you when you thought back on all those intervening years?  How was it recording the Horrific Obsession 7”?  Was it like the old days or was it sort of a new experience for you?

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 'SEVERED...' WAS EXCITING AND ALSO A REMINDER THAT TIME REALLY GETS AWAY FROM YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.  FUCK IT, LIFE'S TOO SHORT TO THINK LIKE THAT.  THE BEST THING TO DO WAS TO MAKE THE RELEASE EVEN MORE OVER THE TOP AND TACK A COUPLE OF NEW SLABS OF SICKNESS ON THERE.  RECORDING THE 'HORRIFIC OBSESSION' TRACKS FELT OLD AND NEW AT THE SAME TIME.  THE CHEMISTRY WAS UNCHANGED WHICH WAS THE GOOD NEWS.  THE OTHER GOOD NEWS WAS WE STILL SOUNDED LIKE AUTOPSY BECAUSE WHEN WE GET TOGETHER, THAT'S WHO WE ARE.  WE STAND BEHIND THOSE SONGS WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND WE HAVE ADDED THE SONG 'HORRIFIC OBSESSION' INTO OUR CURRENT LIVE SET.    

Are Abscess and The Ravenouz dead?  Can we expect any of your other musical projects to surface now that the putrid corpse of Autopsy has been resurrected?  And how was it that Abscess was on Darkthrone’s label Tyrant Syndicate?  How did you guys cultivate that relationship?

THE ONLY BAND ANY OF US ARE DOING IS AUTOPSY AND IT IS DEMANDING ALL OF OUR ATTENTION.  IT FEELS LIKE A RABID MONSTER PULLING AT THE LEASH AND WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO CONTROL IT.  IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, AUTOPSY HAS FOUND A NEW SURGE OF ENERGY THAT IS STAGGERING TO US.  REGARDING ABSCESS ON TYRANT SYNDICATE, THAT CAME AS A RESULT OF BEING IN CONTACT WITH NOCTURNO CULTO WHO TOLD US HE AND FENRIZ HAD A LABEL THROUGH PEACEVILLE AND WE GOT THE OFFER TO RECORD FOR THEM WHICH WE ACCEPTED.  THEY WERE NOTHING BUT EXCELLENT TO WORK WITH AND I CAN'T SAY A SINGLE BAD THING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE.  I RESPECT WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN WHICH MADE IT PERFECT.  I AM VERY PROUD OF EVERYTHING ABSCESS DID AND THOSE RECORDS ARE NO EXCEPTION.

Your longtime friends recently released the Glorious Times book.  Do you think it did justice to Autopsy and your memories of that period in your life?  What do you think of the book as a whole?

THAT BOOK HAS A FUCKLOAD OF HEART BEHIND IT AND IT'S PLAIN TO SEE WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH IT.   A TRUE LABOR OF DEMENTED LOVE.  IT CAPTURES THOSE MOMENTS QUITE WELL AND I AM PLEASED THAT AUTOPSY IS A PART OF IT.  SEQUEL, ANYONE?

With the return of Autopsy, can we expect a return of morbid, underground sounding death metal or will plastic sounding technical computer generated death metal continue like an unabated stream of shit?  Is there any hope for the underground?

I DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS FOR YOU ON THAT. ALL I CAN ACCOUNT FOR IS WHAT AUTOPSY DOES AND THAT IS STAYING TRUE TO WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.  THE LAST THING TO DO ON OUR LIST IS TO RUIN EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST BY DOING SOMETHING LAME AND PLASTIC NOW.  I FOR ONE HAVE ALWAYS DESPISED COMPUTERIZED SOUNDING RECORDS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL THERE ISN'T EVEN A REAL BAND AT THE HELM.  IF YOU LIKED AUTOPSY BEFORE, WE WON'T LET YOU DOWN.  IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE US BEFORE, WE PROBABLY WON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND NOW.  WHAT ANYONE ELSE DOES IS UP TO THEM.  

Speaking of sound, how would you describe as Autopsy’s “sound?”  What makes Autopsy music so rotten?  When recording your music, what are you trying to achieve in regards to sound and style?

WE SIMPLY PLAY AND RECORD WHAT WE FEEL AUTOPSY SHOULD BE DOING.  IT REALLY IS THAT ELEMENTARY.  THE BAND GUIDES US AS MUCH AS WE GUIDE IT.

Being that Autopsy is lyrically very gore and depravity oriented, I was wondering what, besides movies inspires those images of morbidity within your mind.  Also what are some of the most inspiring movies for you in regards to Autopsy?  What do you think of today’s crop of “torture porn” and remakes of classics?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THESE INSPIRATIONS COME PRIMARILY FROM THE BACKS OF OUR MINDS.  IT IS NEVER FORCED IN AN ATTEMPT TO BE SHOCKING OR SICK.  IT'S JUST WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE WRITE WHICH IS WHY IS COMES TOGETHER SO NATURALLY.  CONCERNING REMAKES IN THE FILM WORLD, I GUESS IT CAN BE COOL IF IT'S DONE WITH FEELING, OTHERWISE IT CAN COME ACROSS AS RECYCLED JUNK.  JUST DEPENDS ON WHICH ONES YOU ARE REFERRING TO.

A response you made to a different interview got me thinking.  If your mind could create a world, based on your own images, thoughts, emotions, what would this world look like?  Would it be a dimension of total horror or would it be something completely different?

LIKE THE MAJORITY OF US, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND MY OWN MIND SO I WON'T EVEN TRY.  IT'S A STRANGE ENOUGH WORLD IN THERE WITHOUT IT BECOMING PHYSICAL REALITY.  NICE COP OUT, EH?

If you could select three albums that you have had a hand in that stand out above all the others which ones would you select and for what reasons?

THE ONE ON THE LEFT, THE ONE ON THE RIGHT AND THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE. THE REASON BEING YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY ONE WITHOUT THE REST.  BUY ALL OUR RECORDS, DAMMIT!

So aside from the new EP what are your Upcoming plans for Autopsy?  There is a planned documentary for Autopsy.  What will it feature?  How else will you continue to spread your infectious disease?

HERE'S THE LIST AT THE MOMENT. THERE IS A SICK VINYL RELEASE OF THE DEMOS WITH SOME LIVE/REHEARSAL STUFF CALLED 'AWAKENED BY GORE' ON NUCLEAR WAR NOW PRODUCTIONS, WE'RE PLAYING THE PARTY SAN AND HOLE IN THE SKY FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER, THE EP WILL COME OUT, THE DVD WILL COME OUT WHICH WILL HAVE LIVE/REHEARSAL/INTERVIEW FOOTAGE, WE WILL RECORD THE FULL LENGTH ALBUM AND MOST LIKELY DO A FEW MORE SELECT SHOWS NEXT YEAR.  NOT TO MENTION SEVERAL REISSUES IN THE WORKS.  ALL RELEASES EXCEPT 'AWAKENED BY GORE' WILL BE ON PEACEVILLE.  THE AUTOPSY WORLD IS A HIVE OF HORRIFIC ACTIVITY RIGHT NOW SO THINGS ARE QUITE EXCITING.

I’ll leave any Final words of rotten decay to you, thanks for the interview, Chris, and stay morbid. 

THANKS FOR THE SPACE AND TIME AND WELL THOUGHT OUT QUESTIONS.  LOOK OUT FOR MORE AUTOPSY INSANITY.  STAY MORBID?  AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE, IT'S TOO LATE TO BE ANY OTHER WAY.  MY PATH SEEMS TO BE PRETTY FUCKIN' CONSISTANT!