One of my earliest and shortest posts on here in October 2012, was about Annotations of an Autopsy and their second full-length album, II: The Reign of Darkness. A more death metal-related record compared to the band's discography, it was the next step after a straight-up brutal deathcore / hardcore debut titled Before the Throne of Infection, in 2008.
Driven by the charming youthful excess of that era, these British lads grew a notorious name for themselves by encapsulating all the best and the worst of UK deathcore, while being one of its most characteristic presenters. Building on the considerable attention through the Welcome to Sludge City EP, whose introduction, samples and grotesque visuals got legend status in the Myspace generation, this full-length expanded on the palette but stayed true to that circle.
Nostalgia has undoubtedly colored my perception of this record, but I want to believe the quality, for its kind is there. Other than the obvious epic "Sludge City", hearing the different parts of "Human Dust", "Years of Disgust" and "Deities" transports me back to a time period authentic and long gone. Then, you have the rippers in the likes of opener (after the short intro) "Keeper of the Plague Lands", "Prosthetic Erection" and the heavy self-titled final track.
Unlike everything else on the album, the band includes a clean guitar, dreamy interlude in the vein of late '00s The Faceless on "The Childsnatcher", which is definitely worth mentioning and especially how it clicks with the first seconds of "Prosthetic Erection". Anthemic shouting in some tracks (loved in hardcore, but hated in death metal circles), some crushing noise breakdown instances here and there now used a lot in slam, a lot of more direct death metal riffs, pig squealing and disgusting lyrics that you regret following when you can.
Thirty minutes, often groovy and slow but generally in the mood of never holding back, Before the Throne of Infection has the satisfyingly primitive sense of early deathcore, despite an expansive ambition the band had at that time. The grit, the brutality and the imperfection is there, and it's perfect to bring up in a pure death metal discussion if you're a joker like me.
I've not followed the band since 2010, and never checked the 2019 World of Sludge EP, in fact sometimes avoiding even this release due to some lyrics I find indefensible. Thankfully, the gutturals are sufficiently inhuman — brutal deathcore at its... Messiest.
Fun fact: The Dark Days EP (2011), a mini-album released right after The Reign of Darkness, has an average of 10% rating from eight reviews. A feat!
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