Album Review: Fit For An Autopsy - 'Oh What The Future Holds'

Deathcore music has exploded out of its skin in recent years. This recent wave of bands has raised the bar significantly in terms of its musical chops, the imagination and nous of its songcraft and the sheer, explosive extremities it has reached, musically and sonically, meaning more longer-running bands must step up their game or be left behind. Has Fit For An Autopsy, who’ve been around for almost a decade and a half and are on their fifth full-length release, achieved this? Uncertain. 

Oh What The Future Holds is certainly a very solid older-school deathcore release, and should please their existing fans no end. Will it pick them up any new devotees? Also uncertain. They don’t seem to have attempted to go to the extremes that modern deathcore counterparts have gone. In fact, they seem to have drawn more influence from a band like (the decidedly undeathcorey) Gojira. At times they even fly a little too close to the bone in their tribute to the French metal masters. Check out Far From Heaven for proof. Two Towers wears the influence very plainly on its sleeve at times too.

It’s all subjective of course. Others may not hear it, but to this scribe’s ears and sensibilities, it stuck out like dogs’ proverbials on first listen. It’s a case of, once you hear it, you cannot unhear it, and it taints at least two tracks that are otherwise excellent.

This album is at its best when it is forging its own musical territory. For example, A Higher Level Of Hate plays around with time and utilises tribal percussive elements very skilfully and convincingly, whilst still managing to bring the brutality and intensity. Collateral Damage thrashes things up a little, and its lead guitar hook in the chorus is catchy as all hell, and the epic seven-minute The Man I Was Not closes things in alternatively moody and explosive style.

If you can ignore the slightly ‘too close for comfort’ influence of another band on this album, or if you can’t hear it yourself, there is plenty to enjoy on Oh What The Future Holds.