Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: Autopsy’s Severed Survival Inducted Into the Hall of Fame
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
Way back in the halcyon days of April 2009, when Cole Hamels was a reigning World Series MVP, we inducted Autopsy’s Mental Funeral into the Decibel Hall of Fame. Now, in the unforgiving summer of 2015, when Cole Hamels is a one-man farm system reboot for the worst team in baseball, we double down on our Autopsy love, inducting Mental Funeral’s equally vicious predecessor, Severed Survival. When Cole Hamels eclipses Cy Young for his 512th win sometime in 2040, we’ll give Shitfun the HOF treatment, too!
Chris Dick has handled both Autopsy HOFs, and he contributes his usual painstakingly thorough historical outlook to the Severed Survival story, interviewing not just the (hilariously no-fuck-giving) band, but cover artists Kent Mathieu and Kev Walker. The former’s rendition of a man being meathooked Cenobite-style disturbed retailers enough that Peaceville commissioned the latter’s equally terrifying (but less graphic) zombie doctor imagery. Both obviously rule.
But really, the highlights of this feature are the memories of comparative professional Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus/ex-Death), who couldn’t believe Autopsy’s Ed Wood-esque approach to recording: “I remember, I showed up to record. They had everything already set up. I was going to change my strings and they said, ‘Why?!’ I was like, ‘This is a fucking album recording!’ They were like, ‘Nah, just play with what you got on there.’ I ended up putting on the new strings, but they didn’t understand. [Laughs]”
Ogle at the charred remains in the Ghost issue. You won’t regret it.
The September 2015 issue of Decibel can be purchased here, and also features Cattle Decapitation, Baroness, and Gorgoroth. But if you don’t just get a full subscription, you may end up like that poor dude on the cover of Severed Survival.
