Consistency is key. Throughout their seventh record The Nothing That Is, New Jersey metal band Fit For an Autopsy pepper in moments of exploration into their familiar, crushing sound. The band is forthright about their desire to continue to refine their sound to their specific taste, regardless of commerce or trend. On The Nothing That Is, Fit For an Autopsy delivers a thoughtful, energetic entry into their fruitful discography.
Lead single “Hostage” flips lyrical reference to the title of previous record Oh What the Future Holds into an existential diatribe. The stomping introduction adds a physical weight to the lyrics underscoring the seriousness of their message. The momentum in the track builds continuously to a frenetic solo which clears way to a groovy passage. On “Savior of None/Ashes of All” the band nods to the more straightforward deathcore of their past. The intro riff gallops into Joe Badolato’s seething vocals. Mid-range screams bounce echo off the driving drum beat until soaring clean vocals lift up the chorus. Guitarist and producer Will Putney layers each track with a mix of restless deathcore riffing and screaming solos more consistent with traditional metal. The guitars burrow in the mix providing a robust padding to Badolato’s vocals bounding from gritting teeth mids to gurgling lows in the back half of the track.
On the title track, drummer Josean Orta Martinez pounds through an unforgiving instrumental, switching effortlessly between ghost note rhythms and more direct fills. The band sounds completely in sync working towards a chanted “The nothing that is, the nothing that we’ve become”, a continuation of the existential and occasionally nihilistic themes. The instrumental prowess is continued on “Lust For the Severed Head” working between bounce and blast rhythms which keep the listeners head nodding throughout the track. Final song “The Silver Sun”, doubles down on the melodic sense clearly present throughout the earlier tracks in the record. The guitars flutter around the vocals until they join to dial up the song’s intensity. This, followed by synchronized staccato riffing and vocalizing encapsulate the bands commitment to new ideas and approach throughout the album.
Fit For an Autopsy continue to play by their own rules. On their most recent album, they synthesize pieces of their past and integrate new sounds for their future. The Nothing There Is speaks often of the impending with a soundtrack that is as immediate as it is foreboding.
