– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with AUTOPSY?

Ah, thanks for your time as well. I am currently drinking a nice big cup of coffee. Gotta get the blood going so I can make it through the day Haha! As for Autopsy, we are waiting for our new album to hit the streets and we’ve been playing a few shows here on the west coast, so all is well and we’re keeping the horror flowing.

– Just two years ago, in 2011, you released «Macabre Eternal», your first album after a long hiatus. Did you expect getting the good feedback the record got?

It was a bit surprising to be honest. You never know how a record will be perceived, especially these days with so many bands reformed or reforming. I guess I expected more criticism, but we actually got excellent reviews for the most part. That was great to see of course, so thanks for all the support you sick maniacs! We will keep coffins warm for all of you…

 

– Now you will soon release your new album, «The Headless Ritual». Considering the masterpiece you did with your previous album, did you work under some kind of pressure in order to top over it?

Yes and no. We definitely felt the need to make an even better record than Macabre, but we also felt confident that we could do it. We always try to top the last thing we did, at least in our ears and eyes. How other people judge our work is up to them, but we always go for the throat! No sense in aspiring to make an album almost as good or not quite as good as the last one, eh?

 

– I think you’ve managed to do it, still being 100% AUTOPSY. Is it easy to, in some way, keep on evolving without betraying your sound?

Well, we know what this band should sound like, that’s the most important part. We would never make music that didn’t sound like Autopsy. Of course there’s always room to throw in some cool or interesting touches that we haven’t used before, but nothing too different or off the brutal path, otherwise it wouldn’t sound like us anymore. Gotta stick with the vision and stay true at the end of the day.

 

– After giving the album some spins I could say «The Headless Ritual» is darker and filthier than «Macabre Eternal». Was this how you wanted the record to sound or do you just let things flow naturally?

We pretty much got exactly the sound we were after. We worked closely with Adam Munoz our engineer, as usual. I agree, there is definitely a dark and dirty atmosphere going on which fits our music perfectly. We are really stoked with the results and I’m sure Autopsy fans will be as well.

 

– It also caught my attention is shorter. Is it just coincidence or something you were aiming for?

That is actually something we were aiming for this time. We still love everything about Macabre Eternal but we also wanted to make a more ‘normal’ length album this time. It took some thought to pick out the songs we wanted to use for that kind of fit, but we’re happy with the selection. It seems like one big piece of music rather than bits stuck together….like a continuous horrific flow….a nightmare of brutality…..a one way ticket to bone snapping madness! Sound good?

 

– I think the fact of being shorter in length intensifies and enhances all your elements, even the atmosphere and, this way, leaves a bigger impact upon the listener. When deciding to do a shorter album, did you ever think about this kind of things?

We never really had to think it before, not until we did Macabre Eternal anyways. That actually forced us to put more consideration into album length for this one. Nothing wrong with that, though….it keeps us on our toes ultimately. The most important thing is the album’s vibe….more so than how many songs we can squeeze in there. Macabre Eternal is a longer album, but I still think it works for that one. We just picked out 12 songs and recorded them without concern for running time.

This time we figured less is more and if the impact is stronger, it was the right choice.

 

– As I said earlier, you have always sounded just like AUTOPSY, so I guess you may always compose the same way but, how is the creative process like in the band?

Pretty damn simple, really. Whoever has a song written at home shows up at rehearsal and everyone else learns it. That’s pretty much it. Of course if anyone has ideas to add like some cool touches or layers, that’s cool too. Whatever makes the song sound complete.

 

– And what about the production process?

Crack open the whiskey bottle, make a big cloud of smoke, get the starting tones, record the rhythms guitars, bass and drums (yes, at the same time in the same room), fix any little fuck ups that may have slipped through, add any extra guitar harmonies or solos, add the vocals, mix it down and then master it. For this album it was 10 days total from set up to mastering.

 

– This time the cover artwork has been crafted by Joe Petagno, who needs no introduction (in fact has done a lot of art for MOTÖRHEAD). How did you hook up with him?

He wrote to us and said he was a fan of the band and wanted to know if we would like to work with him. It was an instant yes from us….we were blown away that he would even approach us at all! Fuckin’ hell, he sure delivered a classic slab of gruesome horror. We couldn’t have asked for a better cover painting. Joe is a really cool down to earth person as well which is always a plus.

 

– And how did you work on the artwork? I mean, did you give him some kind of guidelines?

I just sent him a few song titles and he was off. The only real guideline was that we wanted pure horror, nothing more, nothing less. He came up with the concept though and we love it!

 

– All this about «The Headless Ritual» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Sickest one yet!

 

– And finally; what are your near-future plans?

Right now we’re of course waiting for the album to come out. We’ve got a gig with Black Breath next month which should be super sick. Beyond that, we’ll see what comes up. We’re going strong still so just keep your eyes open for more atrocities.

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Just thanks for the time, support and insanity. Check out The Headless Ritual….we won’t let you down! Cheers, chunks and insanity to all…..

 

Tania Giménez

tania@queensofsteel.com

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