10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal EPs Of 2017
7. Autopsy – Puncturing The Grotesque
With critically acclaimed albums coming from the likes
Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Immolation, Suffocation and Morbid Angel in recent
months, it’s safe to say that 2017 has been the year of old-school death metal’s
glorious renaissance. Puncturing the
Grotesque is the cherry on top this year’s growl- and blast-beat-powered
sundae.
A mini-album from the glorious death/doom originators Autopsy, Puncturing the Grotesque is a 23-minute collection of primal death metal goodness, providing nothing but speed, noise and aggression. It may not be as refined as recent death metal extravaganzas like Atonement or Obituary (both 2017), but by God is this EP a cathartic one for extreme metalheads!
Its songs are brief and punchy, the growls from drummer/singer Chris Reifert are as monstrous as ever and its riffs may not be catchy, but they sure are thrashing.
Topping off five original tracks is a cover of fellow death metal royalty Bloodbath’s aptly-named barn-burner “F*ck You!!!”, which is a perfect metaphor for the angered emotions that Puncturing the Grotesque as an experience elicits.