Album Premiere: Autophagy – ‘Bacteriophage’

Autophagy band photo

Back in 2018, Portland death metal quartet Autophagy released their first demo. They included a cover of Nihilist’s “Supposed to Rot” as one of the demo‘s four tracks. But the Swedeath rot ‘n’ roll reverence doesn’t mean that Autophagy are just graverobbing riffs from early ’90s Stockholm. On their debut LP Bacteriophage their sound emerges from midnight swamplands drenched in crust and black mud. Decibel Magazine has an exclusive stream of the viciously good album courtesy of Pulverised Records. The album releases on Friday, September 30th.

Opening with a Hellraiser quote about “sweet suffering” is fitting. If you like death metal that’s doomy, ugly and ruthless, give this carnage a listen. “Sacrificial Spawn” boasts Nola sludge hooks without losing its death metal primacy. The song title “Beneath the Moss, Between the Roots” explicitly references the band’s subterranean sound. But Autophagy doesn’t rely on suffocating reverb to achieve a cavernous effect. The engineering team is top-notch across the board, giving this record a thick tone without sacrificing the riffs to the raw audio necro demigods.

The album was engineered by Charlie Koryn, mixed by Billy Anderson, and mastered by Dave Otero. Those names should jump out if you’re a death metal devotee. “Eviscerated Remains” is a relentless ripper with crusty propulsion. “Becoming” casts aside its lurching intro to blast from the casket with one of the album’s best grooves. Even the re-recorded demo tracks seem revitalized with fresh flesh and blood. This is a ferocious album, and a band I’ll be keeping an eye on. Horns up to Pulverised Records for a trio of albums I have jammed repeatedly: Masakre, Doldrey, and now Autophagy. Dig in, death freaks.

Surrender to abhorrent abomination and press play below.

Pre-order Bacteriophage from Pulverised Records HERE

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