Fit For An Autopsy, are one of those bands that, for me, have been lumped in with what seems like a plethora of cookie cutter bands, bubbling away in the stew that is the Deathcore scene. All syncopated double bass triggered drums, ferocious breakdowns, and throat shredding vocals, replete with breakdowns a plenty, but all a little generic aside from a couple of songs per band, that dare to stray from the well-trodden path of the Deathcore playbook. Upon reflection, that’s probably being a little harsh, but I know I have seen FFAA live but they (and other bands of their ilk) do seem to blend into one with other bands such as Carnifex, Thy Art Is Murder, Despised Icon and Suicide Silence. There seems little to separate these bands in my opinion unless of course, you force yourself to pick at the crust of your preconception scab and prod about in the putrid fleshy mess below.

Hailing from New Jersey, FFAA, having undergone multiple vocalist changes (which is never a good sign), the band exist under the precision tooled leadership of band mainstay and engineer extraordinaire Will Putney (Norma Jean, Body Count and Harm’s Way are just a few of his producing credits) as he also finds time to play guitar in the hardcore supergroup END. On this their sixth full length effort, the band have (after a deep dive into their back catalogue) delivered what is a seismic progression from a musicality perspective as they seek to distance themselves from the Deathcore pack. Introducing sounds, ideas and musical reference points into their sound that breaks the chains of the agreed paradigm that restricts this genre overall and allows them to metaphorically spread their wings and embrace change. When I last listened to previous album ‘The Sea Of Tragic Beasts’ you can literally hear the band straining to break the chains of genre conventions and on ‘Oh What The Future Holds’ the sound you hear, is the metallic clang of links of said chain, crashing to the floor as FFAA, further broaden their horizons and shoot for the stars. Having also reviewed that album back in 2019 for this esteemed site, I have read back what I said and central to that review was a similar theme, of reinvention, of casting aside the accoutrements of the Deathcore scene and reinventing themselves. Whether that be the introduction of nuance, balance and an embracing of other musical ideas is up for debate, but listening to this new collection of songs, there can be no doubt, that this takes what FFAA have previously cooked up and improves, enhances, and embellishes their musicality and as a result, have created an album that feels more balanced without losing their crunchy groove.

This new, invigorated sound is sprinkled throughout the album, from the piano led, softly strummed title track ‘Oh What the Future Holds’ and onwards through the album. ‘Pandora’ ups the ante in the heavy stakes, and it may be something to do with the production, but you can not only feel the crushing weight of the combined forces of drums, bass, and guitars as a collective, but you can also hear them as individual components also, coalescing to produce quite the sonic experience. A further signpost to the future comes with ‘The Man That I Was Not’ which features clean vocals, creating something that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cave In album, slowly building into an epic showcase of what is undeniably a band at the height of their powers from a song writing and playing perspective. They are also shades of French metallic pioneers Gojira in some of the more melodic, drum led songs especially ‘Savages’ which employs a slow crawling syncopated groove that morphs into a more thrash flavoured territories with some lovely squelchy low-end bass that is another signpost to the true musical nature of the band. There’s even moments (and I did not ever think I would be saying this today) in the song ‘Two Towers’ that recall Deftone’s Chino Moreno at his crooning best, vacillating from lullaby to metal fanged beast in the space of four bars. Kudos also to what is a huge production job, which a gives the songs space, time and a stage on which to perform.

It’s a massive sounding collection of songs that really elevates FFAA above the prescribed and agreed nomenclature of the Deathcore scene and announces, if proof were needed, that Fit For An Autopsy are a major force to be reckoned with. Whether this new musical direction will alienate their more dyed in the wool fanbase, remains to be seen, but given the musical journey this band are (and have been) on, those that fall by the wayside will be more than made up by the new fans they pick up as a result of this album.

(8.5/10 Nick Griffiths)

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https://fitforanautopsy.bandcamp.com/album/oh-what-the-future-holds