Mental Funeral
| Mental Funeral | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 22, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | November 20 – 26, 1990 | |||
| Studio | Different Fur, San Francisco, California, USA | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:54 | |||
| Label | Peaceville Records | |||
| Producer | Autopsy Hammy | |||
| Autopsy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Mental Funeral is the second album by American death metal band Autopsy, released on April 22, 1991 by Peaceville Records.
Dutch Pearce of Decibel called Mental Funeral "one of the most influential albums in the history of death metal".[2] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic states that the album confused listeners when first released, and conferred the title of "death metal's ultimate love/hate band" on Autopsy.[3]
Background and recording
The album was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco. The band described the album's recording process as having a "party atmosphere", and claim to have consumed copious amounts of alcohol and cannabis during its recording process. Chris Reifert said, "There were 18 of us there or something [...] we did all things we were not supposed to do while making a record it seems." The band was satisfied with most of the tones achieved during pre-production, and little mixing was required for the final product.[4]
Composition
Autopsy's sound on Mental Funeral has been described as "lumbering, unholy, and totally gross." Its styles have been categorized as death metal, death-doom and grindcore.[5][6] Autopsy drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert believes the album feels "a little psychedelic [...] but without sound effects or anything like that." He claimed that the interlude riff in "In The Grip of Winter" was "[directly stolen]" from “Eskimo” by The Residents, and said he "just switched the notes a little bit". He said the main riff in “Destined to Fester” drew influence from “Call From the Grave” by Bathory.[7]
Brandon Corsair of Invisible Oranges said "each song contains within it the potential to completely go off the rails with speed and aggression or to slow to a painful dirge".[8] The lead guitar stylings of Eric Cutler and Danny Coralles on the album have been described as "agile" and "melodic." The album's rhythm guitars have been described as "savage" and "remorseless." The album's song structures have been described as being "never easy to predict."[9]
Lyrically, the album explores themes including necrophilia. Chris Reifert's vocal performance has been characterized as employing "bowel-vacating croaks" and "spleen-bursting shrieks."[10]
Legacy
Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote, "Sadly, while it won over as many fans as it pissed off upon release, Mental Funeral arguably confused an even greater number of consumers, turning Autopsy into death metal's ultimate love/hate band, the one no one seemed able to agree on."[11]
Track listing
- All music by Autopsy. Lyrics by Chris Reifert – except track 5, Eric Cutler
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay" | 2:15 |
| 2. | "In the Grip of Winter" | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Fleshcrawl" | 0:36 |
| 4. | "Torn from the Womb" | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Slaughterday" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Dead" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Robbing the Grave" | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Hole in the Head" | 6:03 |
| 9. | "Destined to Fester" | 4:34 |
| 10. | "Bonesaw" | 0:45 |
| 11. | "Dark Crusade" | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Mental Funeral" | 0:37 |
| Total length: | 37:54 | |
Personnel
- Autopsy
- Chris Reifert – vocals, drums
- Danny Coralles – guitar
- Eric Cutler – guitar, vocals on "Slaughterday"
- Steve Cutler – bass
- Production
- Recorded November 20–26, 1990 at Different Fur, San Francisco, California, USA
- Produced by Autopsy and Hammy
- Engineered by Ron Rigler
- Cover art by Kev Walker
References
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r247397
- ^ Pearce, Dutch (2021-04-22). "Autopsy's Mental Funeral turns 30!". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Mental Funeral - Autopsy | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-12-26
- ^ Pearce, Dutch (2021-04-22). "Autopsy's Mental Funeral turns 30!". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Mental Funeral - Autopsy | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-12-26
- ^ "The 15 greatest death metal albums of the '90s". Kerrang!. 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- ^ Corsair, Brandon. "The Brain-Erasing Legacy of Autopsy's Mental Funeral (Retrospective + Interview with Chris Reifert)". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Corsair, Brandon. "The Brain-Erasing Legacy of Autopsy's Mental Funeral (Retrospective + Interview with Chris Reifert)". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Mental Funeral - Autopsy | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-02
- ^ Corsair, Brandon. "The Brain-Erasing Legacy of Autopsy's Mental Funeral (Retrospective + Interview with Chris Reifert)". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Mental Funeral - Autopsy | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-02
