Fit for an Autopsy – The Nothing That Is (Review)

Fit for an Autopsy are a deathcore band from the US and this is their seventh album.

I do so like Fit for an Autopsy. If you haven’t already, check out The Depression Sessions, The Great Collapse, The Sea of Tragic Beasts, Oh What the Future Holds, and The Aggression Sessions; all are worth your time and document a band increasingly carving their own niche in deathcore’s crowded landscapes. So then, what do the 44 minutes of new material on The Nothing That Is provide us with?

Glorious heaviness, that’s what.

The Fit for an Autopsy sound is intact and well, as you would want it to be, although like always, the band haven’t stood still. If you’re new to the band, then they have increasingly delivered a charismatic and layered version of sort-of-deathcore, with more atmosphere, emotion, depth, and variety than is typically associated with the style. On The Nothing That Is they continue to develop their style, pushing the layers of depth, atmospheric immersion, and emotive weight even further. It doesn’t hurt that the music is chock full of massive riffs, crushing groove and murderous brutality either.

The songwriting is energetic, dynamic, and infectious. The many hooks bite deep, yet there’s more here than simple instant appeal heaviness. The band know how to craft songs of substance, with progressive edges, moody darkness, and rich feeling all bound tightly into their expansive deathcore framework. The Nothing That Is balances catchiness with longevity well, once again demonstrating Fit for an Autopsy’s skilled confidence in their chosen self-forged style.

The songs are all well-written and hit the spot like a sack of spanners. Alongside the usual high quality material you would expect at this point, a few things are notable about this new record. There’s more depth of feeling and atmosphere, and the music overall is better at conveying an experiential journey through sound. The guitars are increasingly melodically expressive and layered, and the band make greater use of speed, (think Swedish melodic death metal), which is very welcome. Finally, the singer has always had a very strong voice, and that remains true on The Nothing That Is; more so in fact, as this time around his screams are more acidic than ever, and his cleans clearer, more impactful, and more infused with feeling.

Fit for an Autopsy are one of the best examples of how good this sort of thing can be in the right hands. Most deathcore is so generic and one-dimensional that I feel like Fit for an Autopsy’s output should be termed modern metal, metalcore, post-deathcore, or probably something else entirely; most bands with these tags lack actual riffs, but Fit for an Autopsy certainly do not. Regardless, let’s not quibble too much over terms, as this is simply top tier heavy music. Fit for an Autopsy are probably the world’s premier exemplar of the deathcore-related style, and The Nothing That Is is yet another knockout success for the band.

Essential listening for any fan of contemporary heaviness.