Autopsy Boys – Def Elements
Autopsy Boys – Def Elements CD (0605 Records)
My introduction to these bad boys from Leeds, UK, came in the form of the single ‘Rich Kids Playground’, which I rather enthusiastically described as a ‘just-over-2-minute-long blast of frenetic energy… [and] a deeply satisfying slab of sing-along punk rock that will fit perfectly onto any (read: every) old-school mixtape that I’ll be making for the next dozen years or so.’ The track’s deft mixture of vintage hardcore beatdowns (think: Sick Of It All), post-hardcore lead vocals and melodies (think: Into Another), and thrash metal riffing (think: Anthrax) and soloing (think: Slayer) is just plain sick. I can’t get enough of it. In fact, I now realize that I missed a reference point the first time around, one that applies to the entire album and should be kept in mind by fans of seriously heavy and important music: Hank Shocklee’s Bomb Squad, specifically the genre-busting, groundbreaking sounds utilized on those early, indispensable Public Enemy records. And that, I should think, lays a suitable bridge to cross into a discussion of the album as a whole. ‘Def Elements’ is full of surprises. If this album were a person, I would consider this person to be – what’s the PC way to put this? – ‘unstable’. Do I mean that in a positive way? Boy howdy, I do! ‘Def Elements’ begins with a spoken-word intro called ‘Last Day Of School’ – and concludes with a comparable outro called ‘End Credits’ – that combine horrorcore hip-hop beats and synths with Sabbathian guitar riffing and… none other than the man, the myth, the legend that is Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia. So there’s enough of a reason to purchase at least two copies of this album – one to collect and savor forever, and one to cover in glue before inserting into the music-playing device of your choice so you can have it playing always, always, always for a long, long, long time. In fact, anyone who is as fond of the works of Blag The Ripper as I am can form a partial picture of what Autopsy Boys are doing here by revisiting Dwarves’ 2004 classic ‘…Must Die’, which merges the band’s unique brand of out-of-control punk fury with hip-hop, synth-pop, and Orange County pop-punk. Autopsy Boys, naturally, are their own band. And they mix a lot of thrash, hardcore, and even grindcore into their own non-stop party mix (aka ‘Def Elements’). And they do it well. And they keep the beats heavy. And they keep the riffs sharp. And they keep the melodies flowing. And they’ve created a strange, exciting record that needs to be heard to be believed. The Impaler @impalerspeaks
