Annotations of an Autopsy - Before the Throne of Infection (2008) Review

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!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Acranius - Whiteout (2026) Review

It's always nice to come across albums with confidence, unapologetic about their identity. Having a taste for non-conventional music always comes with the silent danger of a false sense of raised intellect when one reaches its more hard-to-reach branches, especially in extreme metal. Since forming in Rostock, Germany in 2009, Acranius have happily stayed on the far side of that highway, steadily merging death metal, slam grooves and breakdown-heavy aggression with crystal clear sound on top a gorilla attitude in person and material. I've partied enough with their first three albums, but Mercy Denied (2022) turned out to be even more punishing than normal, and the band keeps on that trajectory with latest release, Whiteout.

There are nine tracks and a total of 23 minutes duration, so there's no time to waste getting to the point. Whiteout's blueprint of stomping blast beats, mixture of gutturals and monster growls, crushing tempos hitting like slabs of concrete immediately explode on the two-minute opener "Prove Them Wrong". Cutting but pristine and loud production, allowing for the guitars to punch and the bass to rumble ominously underneath, as Acranius torture the guitars not for riff ingenuity, but for rhythmically addictive brutality. Unnecessary buildup is avoided like the plague. The more the album rages, the more your biceps grow. "Synchronized" and "Sworn to Repay" continue the assault in line with the band's formula of fast blast sections that suddenly collapse into slow, smothering slams, while properly juggling with the momentum. 

The album's middle section features Acranius at their most blunt, riding a relentless measured beating with the pounding, repetitive riff on "Dogma". A locked-in-one track that produces some of Whiteout's heaviest moments, as follower "Forced Dread" pushes the tempo further and strongly emphasizes how all these tracks are tailor-made for concert chaos. "A Vow Unspoken" and "Counterlife" are two of the fuller tracks of the record, occasionally tickling the otherwise standard tempo and pull back the intensity a couple of times, just so the next groove slaps harder. Towards Whiteout's end is where the band leans even more into their deathcore self (hey, roll back and feel the breakdown on "Dogma" again though) with "Waste of Life" and "Convoi", these guys really are engineers of festival devastation.

The band has kept refining its sound to a razor edge, being on their best behavior while inside their comfort zone. Sometimes, what use is to experiment when the machine operates so well within the boundaries, so if you're looking for unpredictable high jinks, this tractor is not for you. Overly aggressive, massive in production and with vehement mentality, Acranius' energy radiates. Whiteout delivers, as long as you know what to expect from it

Release: March 6th, 2026 | Blood Blast Distribution
Rating: 4 out of 5