Mortician's Apprentice

What the heck is a Sledgehammer Autopsy? Is it attempting to decipher the state of the dead cells of a cadaver that was pulverized to the point of being unidentifiable even from dental records under a microscope? Or maybe perhaps attempting to sift the bones from a pile of indistinguishable pieces of flesh? If this is the picture that comes to mind for anyone going in low-fi, independent, gory death metal directions, it is actually a pretty accurate picture of what “Mortician’s Apprentice” sounds like. And yet, even with this vividly disturbing image in mind, until experiencing this for yourself you literally won’t know the half of it.

As best as can be surmised, this is a rather odd marriage of east coast American death metal ala Cannibal Corpse and the most brutally chaotic fringes of grindcore. The subjects here range from deranged serial killers and war protest to the horrific images of insect plagues, presented in the most vocally unintelligible of ways. The vocalizations are probably most heavily influenced by Lord Worm, though familiar guttural animal noises from a number of recent followers of his in the brutal scene are near equally present. The music, though masked under a really inconsistent production job, is largely a simply helping of ugly atonal riffs and get fairly repetitive quickly even though the songs are notably short in scope. The presentation, including the somewhat droning and imprecise solo on “Entomophobia”, is sloppily done yet fitting.

Though I can’t really say that this is the sort of stuff that I go for, this is pretty good for what it is. The production quality varying so drastically from one song to the next, combined with the fact that the band goes from fairly orthodox brutal death metal to short-live grindcore ditties abruptly about halfway through the album is what holds this thing back a bit. But given that this little demo can be obtained for free, it would probably be worth checking out if you live for death/grind with a low grade sound.

Originally submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on March 6, 2011.

What is better than Death Metal that is brutal and to the point? Well besides winning the lotto, nothing. Sledgehammer Autopsy is a band that set out to rip off your face with run of the mill old school Death Metal. I can find this similar to earlier works of Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower. What I find it similar to is the slower works of those bands. Sledgehammer Autopsy's sound is comparable to the early 90's scene in which it seems they are influenced by.

The production really isn't all the great. I don't really care too much except that I think it would make each instrument sound better. What we have here is some deep, groovy, grindy Death Metal. The mix of guttural and low-pitched vocals complements the rest of the music by adding more feeling. If this were to be an instrumental demo, I would be left with a lot more heartache. The first three tracks are straight up Death Metal with low vocals, each has more song structure, and of course I like these three are the best. The last four are more of the Grind variety and the song lengths are all less than 1:15 long. This makes best for the guttural style and pounding drums. The guitars don't change all that much but the rest does.

Sledgehammer Autopsy has put out a decent demo. This is nothing to go kill your parents for, but if you like what I have described, by all means you should have a listen. The two styles on here are separated and I wouldn't mind if the band continued on with both, even though I would like the more Death Metal-oriented songs. The short length could be a turn off to some, but it is perfectly fine for a demo of this caliber.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

I was fairly skeptical when I first heard of Sledgehammer Autopsy. The majority of underground grind bands I’ve heard of aren’t worth your time. I truly wasn’t expecting anything amazing (or even good), since it’s underground grind and it’s a demo. But I was proven wrong. It’s a very promising start for the young band.

The demo is a lot better than most of the current grind bands (in my opinion most of them palm mute a few random notes with blasts in the background.) Sledgehammer Autopsy wrote their songs very nicely and this demo doesn’t ever get boring. The guitar tone is pretty good for the most part, taking in mind it’s a demo. It’s played out pretty well, too. No amateur mistakes that tend to pop up in most demos. As for the bass, I think it’s distorted…thus being directly inaudible. There’s only a few places I could actually pick out his track. As for drums, I couldn’t tell if they were real or fake. Turns out they’re the latter. Being that I couldn’t tell the difference, that means they’re very well programmed (impressive actually, because drums can be hard to program). The final song sounds like an entirely different band. It’s very harsh and raw. If it weren’t for the gargling vocals, I could swear its black metal. It’s out of place, but it’s at the end so it’s no problem. And speaking of the vocals, they’re fantastic. Very good gargles and low grunts. They’re impressive, since I find inhale vocals very difficult to do…especially squeals.

There’s not much else to say about this demo, since it’s only eleven minutes long. But I will say that I’m looking forward to future releases from Sledgehammer Autopsy. I recommend you do aswell.

Sledgehammer Autopsy’s first demo provides for an entertaining listen but lacks replayability, hampered by what feels like a rushed writing and recording process. However, the way the music is presented suggests that this grindcore band, influenced by a fair amount of old-school death, do not want this release to be taken too seriously. This is evident in the humorous song titles such as “Bluuh!” and “Pointless Screaming”, as well as the amusing sampled intros.


Nonetheless, the music itself is dark, cutting, and fast, an interesting counterpoint to the lighthearted way they are presented. Originality in riffs are compromised for speed and an unrelenting attack that only pauses for a breather in the slower “Gates to Hell”. As you would expect from a grindcore release, all songs are very short, the longest one clocking in at less than three minutes. Vocals are low pitched, adding to the music’s brooding atmosphere. Most songs combine a mix of grindcore gurgles, pig grunts, and Karl Sander-esque vocals located at a demented near sub-bass frequency, which are especially well done.


Regarding the recording and production, it is very DIY, evident in the background fuzz. This is both a gain and loss. The raw attitude of the musicians and their music is clearly transmitted, but clarity of sound and cohesion is also sacrificed to an extent, at times making it detrimental to the music. The guitar sound could definitely benefit with more definition and thickness; at times, it is hard to hear what the guitars are playing because they are too thin. The synchronization of the instruments could also be a tad improved, as evident in the sloppy guitar and drum interaction throughout “Entomophobia. Drums, by the way, are programmed, and for the most part they are adequately done, though like the riffs, they could be more original and captivating. The bass is rumbling, undefined, and muddies up the production, but its presence can be felt behind the guitars and drums. Along with the Sander-esque vocals, the bass creates a dark atmosphere but it is hard to tell what notes are being played most of the time. It could definitely be given more high-end definition next time round, and also be raised in the mix.


Despite its shortcomings, Sledgehammer Autopsy’s first demo is a worthy effort, and is definitely worth the time for any grindcore fans that like their music fast and dirty with lots of DIY spirit. Perhaps next time, SA could take more time writing and recording to improve on the points as listed above.


Choice cuts: "This Is Your War"

Sledgehammer Autopsy is a fairly new death/ grind band consisting of members from Satanic Destroyer and Slaughter By The Scythe. That in itself is a bad omen. Good news though, it doesn’t suck! The music is very brutal, and the members have matured greatly since their ‘black metal’ days. Part of the reason is probably because they had help, but I’m not shooting down the chance of newfound creativity. The music is solid for the most part. I personally find it to be a bit monotonous at times, but it’s short.

The vocals tend to be a bit heavier then they need to be, considering the band’s music isn’t brutal enough for the incoherent screams of a future Glen Benton. Not to say it falls apart on itself. The drums are beastly and fit perfectly with the music. The guitars for the most part are solid and contain some fairly good riffs. The bass isn’t easy to hear, but put the songs on bass booster and your brain will implode. Gates To Hell and Entomophobia are both easily the standouts on the album. I will say that addition of Lewis Black and Bender from Futurama are funny, but really unnecessary and sound like the band is trying to hard to make their grind sound not be taken so seriously. With good grind, you do not need the silly samples (though I am an avid Lewis Black fan).

A few things to say that I didn’t like that I didn’t mention above. The brutal growls are good, but dear god never do the horrendous deathcore pig squeals that plague Bluuuh! and Bunghole Annihilation. Also, the high pitch yells in the latter track, ditch them. They completely ruined the song and flow. Lastly, diversify, because the last part of the release sounded meshed together and it was hard to separate the tracks form one another.

It’s a good release and a worthy download considering who’s behind the band. It is no Mortician or Aborted or some of the other pioneers, but it’s a good start in becoming something that could be big (just not deathcore, I beg of you).

Sledgehammer Autopsy is a two-man brutal death metal band from North America and they aren't bad at all.

The vocals are pulled off well, a mix of gurgled and burped vocals with low and very full growls, along with the occasional shriek. The drums are automated, but well programmed and with variation when appropriate. Songs that sound more in the style of grindcore than anything else are gritty, short, and sweet, complete with typical samples (though I'm not sure if the sillier ones fit in well). They do well to mix it up a bit, pacing the longer and heavier songs apart. This Is Your War is my favorite; it's length seems just right for the style and the instruments come together the best on this track.

Naturally, the demo is not without its problems. While the several riffs in Entomophobia are entertaining and simple, they are played throughout most of the song. This wears them out fast and the slightly tedious solo comes too late to save the song from boredom completely. This Is Your War is caught in the same dilemma. The longer sludgy death metal songs need a little more variation and progression.

Sledgehammer Autopsy is a brutal death metal band and I think that it would benefit from a much louder bass. The guitars don't have very much backing to play on (this is most apparent on Entomophobia). A fuller and thicker sound is aching to be achieved. The more prominent bass would set the band apart from many other bdm bands which seem to neglect it.

The mix of short fast songs with longer mid-tempo tracks dispels the monotony typically surrounding early releases of other brutal death bands. Mortician's Apprentice is an enjoyable demo with a whole lot of potential. Will this potential be realized in the future? Who knows.

Although they have a long way to go until world domination, 'Mortician's Apprentice' is a damn good start for this young Colorado two-piece. Sledgehammer Autopsy play heavy, sludgey, brutal death metal that borders on grindcore sometimes, and can be compared to Mortician, or perhaps a meeting point between Mortician and Devourment. Mortician though, are the best comparison. They have that mid-paced bludgeoning thing going on that Mortician do best, and they do it rather well. The guitar actually has a really brutal tone and the bass does well backing it up. The drums, although it is a drum machine, are well programmed. The vocals are very well handled, they're so well done that upon first hearing them I believed them to be pitch-shifted.

There are ways they could improve though, and with a few minor changes they could shift their way right to the top of the brutal death pile. The production lacks the bass end quite a bit, and with the bass given a more significant role in the mix, Sledgehammer Autopsy could churn out some even heavier music. I don't know how people manage to lack bass sound, if I were making a demo, I think I'd add just a little extra bass just incase. Afterall, you rarely hear people complaining about the bass being too loud (it usually turns out to be pretty cool actually, look at old Cryptopsy, Cirith Ungol, Manowar on Hail to England, Thrasher (from Rusty Axe)...). If there were a thicker, heavier bass sound present that was given more of a significant role then that would massively improve this.

That's pretty much it really, everything else about this is already pretty well done. There are a few silly moments (intentionally done, jokingly) like at the beginning of 'Pointless Screaming', which would be good to be left behind as Sledgehammer Autopsy create quite a dark, brutal atmosphere and it's a shame that they should tread water in between serious and silly. The songs could be given a bit more definition, although I don't really mind them the way they are. They're similiar and excessive but I'm pretty sure that's how they're meant to be, again, going back to Mortician. However, if every song on their next release is as strong as 'This Is Your War' then they could really be on their way to a brutal death metal classic.

Apparently, they've now decided to go in a more death/thrash direction, which is a shame because I'd like to see this style expanded on some more, but I'm still interested in hearing what they have to do in future all the same.