Mortician's Apprentice

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.