Severed Survival

I think I've already mentioned here the big metal records purge I did in 2001. One of my biggest regret ever. Anyhow, a dozen metal records that meant something special to me avoided it. One of them was my copy of Autopsy debut full length "severed survival" released by Peaceville around 1989. To be more accurate, a copy of the second press from 1990 with the different (and way better IMO!) artwork. One of my fave death metal album ever, that I bought in the early 90s' from the legendary Stiv Rottame's New Zabrinskie Point record shop in Milano. This record survived several minor purges until 2014. Had to sell it in order to buy a more expensive record. Regretted it immediately, of course. Recently I've decided that it was time for it to come back in my collection. Found a copy for the same price I had sold mine and it was even in better conditions!

 1989 was a crucial year for death metal. It erupted from the underground to become a recognized genre worldwide. And Autopsy debut album can be included for sure in a top ten of death metal album from that seminal year that had a huge role in shaping and defining this new way of playing metal. Like everything that came out in a creative and experimental period, it has its own unique putrid sound that makes it a masterpiece. Of course songwriting is not yet your formulaic and boring US brutal death metal formula. It's a mix of death metal and doom, all dressed with perverted gory lyrics. A masterpiece, all superbly packed in a sick artwork and a printed dustsleeve with one of the coolest collage of pictures of the band.