‘Critical Madness: The Demo Years’ compiles the classic earliest works of
the kings of sickness in their formative years, leading with Autopsy’s first
demo from 1987 along with 1988’s legendary ‘Critical Madness’ demo,
which quickly resulted in the band inking a deal with Peaceville and the
subsequent release of the genre staple debut, 1989’s ‘Severed
Survival’.
The release is completed by the rare track ‘Christ Denied’ plus a selection
of raw rehearsal
recordings of material from 1987 & 88, most of which would later feature on
the band’s studio
debut. One of the early breed of US Death Metal acts, Autopsy formed in 1987 in
San Francisco by former Death drummer, Chris Reifert, and released four albums
on Peaceville Records, commencing with the early genre-defining albums
‘Severed Survival’ & ‘Mental Funeral’. After disbanding in 1995 –
with members going on to form Abscess – Autopsy triumphantly returned from
the grave after a 15– year hiatus with the 2010 EP, ‘The Tomb Within’
(followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album, ‘Macabre
Eternal’ in 2011). The band has remained at the top of the Death Metal pile
since, having just celebrated their 30th anniversary with the brutal and
non-too-subtle assault on the senses, ‘Puncturing the Grotesque’. This
edition of ‘Critical Madness: The Demo Years’ is a mid-price CD presented in
jewel case packaging complete with an 8-page booklet and OBI card.
