The year of 2017 will go down as of the best (if not THE best) years of deathcore history. At the time I’m writing this, it’s mid-April and we’ve already seen some of the best albums the genre has seen in recent years. That being said, a band like FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY could not be missing from the list of (deathcore) artists that have released an album this year, coming back with their 4th studio album named, “The Great Collapse”
This is the most mature work of the band so far, as well as the less, for lack of a better word, brutal. To best describe it, I’d say it’s what the child of GOJIRA and THY ART IS MURDER, would sound like. You’re probably thinking “damn, this sounds fucking awesome!”. Well, for the most part it is. Any time your band gets compared to GOJIRA is and amazing achievement. Same applies for THY ART IS MURDER. Everything’s there, the amazing riffs, the fantastic drumming, a full bass that gives width and depth to the album’s sound, the vocals that exhibit some gruesome lows and the same time, the more sing-y parts sound much like GOJIRA (sometimes TOO much). The lyrics have an environmental message (again, like GOJIRA) which, personally, I’m a fan of. I can appreciate a deathcore band that makes it a point to spread a significant message, rather than having your typical horror and anti-religion themed lyrics. It’s good to see a band break that cliché.
So what was that about “The Great Collapse” being fucking awesome… for the most part? The main issues I have with this album is that it lacks punch and identity.
“Despite it’s flaws, “The Great Collapse” is a good album that keeps the deathcore flag waving”
When I say it lacks “punch”, I do because, when it’s all said and done, the heavy parts are underwhelming, and this album has a lot of heavy parts. Unfortunately, they just don’t hit hard enough. Whether it’s the mix, or the way the songs were composed, it feels as if the beast called FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, is holding back on us what put them on the map in the first place, and that’s their immense brutality, sporadically combined with majestically attractive blackened melodies.
As for the “identity” part, I think It’s kinda obvious at this point where I’m referring to. The similarities to GOJIRA are so apparent that will make you cringe, and while they replicate GOJIRA’S sound well, I consider this a step back, because they have the talent to create their own sound and personality as they’ve made clear in their previous works.
The mix is a product of Will Putney, the band’s guitarist, who did a very good job, again, for the most part. The bass is huge, the drums sound amazing and natural, the vocals are clear and easy to make out (although their vocalist, Joe Badolato deserves some credit for that too), but the guitars are lackluster when it comes to how big and aggressive they sound in breaks.
Despite it’s flaws, “The Great Collapse” is a good album that keeps the deathcore flag waving in a year that is monumental for the genre. While it won’t make anyone collapse in exhilaration and overwhelm, it’s 100% worth to check out and will make a fine addition to your 2017 deathcore album collection.