Embryonic Autopsy Rise Of The Mutated Review
Embryonic Autopsy
Rise of the Mutated
Massacre Records
2026
The subgenre of brutal death metal (with death metal being a subgenre of metal itself) has been kicking in corpses and aurally assaulting eardrums since the early 90’s. There's no official word on who the first band of this kind was, though one could point to Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Broken Hope as some of its earliest practitioners. Again, this is merely my opinion or guesstimate, so please don't come after me with the pitchforks and torches. When you consider the hallmarks (deep and guttural vocal growls, busy, technical chugging down-tuned guitar riffs, blazing speed that utilizes blast beats, and distorted dexterous bass), citing those three is hard to argue. Another component of this visceral style is shocking cover art and some of the most gruesome lyrics imaginable. This sadistic beast has evolved, as all genres do, and continues to thrive in the darkest, disturbing corners of the underground. There have been countless more since those I mentioned, and with labels such as New Standard Elite, Comatose Music, Sevared Records, and recently (within the last five years) Iron Fortress signing brutal DM bands from everywhere from Indiana to Indonesia, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. In that same pustulent spirit, we find ourselves freshly dissecting the third full-length from Chicago's Embryonic Autopsy, the absolutely world-eating Rise of the Mutated.
The band formed in 2021 and are headed up by vocalist Tim King from technical death metal pioneers Oppressor, former Otep guitarist Scott Roberts, and a fierce rhythm section consisting of bassist Kenxi Dupey and drummer Marco Fimbres. As a quartet, they play fierce and uncompromising 90’s-inspired brutal death metal. Their new album is the third in a trilogy of concept albums. But first, let’s backtrack. The debut “Prophecies of the Conjoined” arrived in 2022, featuring guest appearances on guitar from James Murphy (Death, Obituary) and Terrance Hobbs (Suffocation), with lyrics detailing the theory of “aliens visiting and helping to teach the Egyptian, Mayan, and Aztec cultures by furthering their technology. It would not be until centuries later that a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico, would give scientists actual life forms to study. The DNA of these alien life forms were combined with human DNA to create alien/human hybrids.” In 2024, the concept continued on “Origins of the Deformed” with a much more demented and graphic bend to the words and music. They have finally completed their own circle with these 10 new songs.
Rise of the Mutated was produced and mixed in-house by Roberts, with mastering handled by Ulrich Wild (Pantera, Dethklok). The results are a clear yet raw, modernly produced old-school sound. Everything is perfectly balanced between all the devastating instrumentation and the gurgled, low, and menacing vocals. My one complaint is that I feel the drums could've been brought forward a bit in the final mix, but that's just me being nitpicky. As for the tunes? Well, this is no-frills, all-heavy and intense all the time, with plenty of disgusting song titles and lyrics. Throughout, Embryonic Autopsy have their phasers set to kill and to make us cringe. I mean, the lead-off is “Bathing In Entrails,” and it's a nonstop maiming with relentless speed, time signature manipulations, and some of the deepest gutturals I've heard in some time. Immediately afterward, “Zombified Infants of Roswell” lurches forward with an atmospheric intro and then grips your throat with its meticulous mid-pace giving way to double bass verses and an insane breakdown. EA are not content to rest on these laurels, as “Feasting Upon the Rotted Uterus” surges with that tried-and-true pull-off riffing that made Cannibal famous, and never lets up within its nearly 4-minute beatdown and some very tasteful shredding, once again courtesy of James Murphy during a rare melodic passage that is very death/doom in its execution. This single-minded approach to mangle keeps rolling through the tracks and true gross-out title of “Drenched In Corrosive Semen.” Here they also introduce some higher growls and screams, which is a good switch from the extraterrestrial basement vocalizations. The track ends with some more Murphy tech-infused leads, and then we have the ever-radio-friendly “Bloated In Pus.” Closing things out, we have the title track, which begins with a spoken narrative, a melodic lead line, swinging bass, groove-laden drumming, and a snail’s marching pace. It's interesting to me that this closes the album, as it could have worked perfectly as an intro as well. The slow fade-out of the death/doom motif seems to be bookending the story told throughout the rest of the record, so it's darkly fitting. The carnage is over and humanity has been wrecked and defiled by alien/human hybrids, and now all that's left is to survey the broken world and bury the bodies.
Embryonic Autopsy is surely not for everyone, especially those easily offended by the song titles and such detailed gore-soaked lyrics. However, this is brutal death metal; you know what you're getting when you put this on. They have upped their game considerably and rip through these songs with their fastest, most intense, and focused long player yet. This is pure unbridled extremity for old-school death metal fans by old-school death metal fans. It reeks, it rots, and bangs decapitated heads in the best of ways…
RIYL- Cannibal Corpse, Broken Hope, Suffocation, Incantation, Immolation, Severe Torture
~TB