Once again we are looking at the vile underground of Chicagoland. Just below the surface festers a scene that spills into the back alleys, shadows and fills the local live venues on a Friday or Saturday night. Where the congregation of blaring guitars meet the unleashing of tension from the week. Many bands have paid their dues within the back streets of this windy city and on the stages of places like Reggie’s or The Cobra Lounge, hoping to make a name for themselves. This was just the haven for a band like EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY to take form in and dominate. Having formed only a few years ago and releasing their debut full-length album “Prophecies of the Conjoined” back in 2022, the band quickly gained traction. Though being relatively newer to the stage and metal underground scene, a few members have been here the whole time like “Tim King” of OPPRESSOR or “Scott Roberts” of MANTORS.. EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY is back with their second full-length album “Origins of the Deformed”. Released on June 14, 2024 under the label Massacre Records, this is an album that will pulverize and eviscerate your senses for 30:38 minutes with ten solid tracks that continue a story of alien and human hybridisation left off from their first album.   

At first glance of the album art, it is definitely a depiction of deformity painted in tones of red and orange. Some kind of deformed alien birth on the edge of a cliff maybe, I have no idea. But I know I like it. A fitting album cover for the name of this album and definitely gives you the impression of the overall album theme. But what's also great about it is the fact that it brings back a nostalgic art look of death metal from the 90’s. Bands logo sits upper left, album name in a simple but bold font in the bottom right.  “Dripping In The Vaginal Nectar” which features “Jack Owen” of SIX FEET UNDER has an eerie start that builds into an onslaught of brutality. The thick low tuned chord progressions  coated with brutal bestial vocals and aggressive drums lead into some dynamic elements with the play on stereo mixing. With a final scream the track breaks into a well placed solo by “Jack Owen”.  “Orgies Of The Inseminated” has a solid slam death chord progression that builds with some well timed drum rolls and blast beats before the vocals puke all over everything. The guitars timed with the drum rolls create a marching of intensity and carry the tonality of the overall track. At some point the track stops and “James Murphy” who is known from being in bands like DEATH and OBITUARY kicks in with a fervent solo that shreds.

Though the album is decently produced with having the levels sitting mainly in all the right spots other than a few minor areas, I find that the tracks seem to blend into each other with very little identity. There are at times, in some spots, where there are slight differentiating features in chord progression but it all sounds quite the same after a while. That being said, however, there is a comfort in the simplicity of the brutality that is being displayed here. The production value also adds a bit of ear candy as there are some dynamics with the stereo mixing, which adds a bit of depth to the overall tonality of various tracks. Despite having simple elements there is a level of complexity here that can be heard. An undertone of technicality that pops in from time to time. It's like the album tries to blend various death metal elements together. From brutal slam to traditional old school death metal. Even taking a page out from the Swed’s “Self-Inflicted C-Section” is a track that races forward with aggression as it seems to build intensity with solid chord progressions. This track embodies solid death but adds some solid dynamics and is probably one of my favorites of the album. That intensive build up that leads into a solo was disgusting. "The Curse Of Madame Pele” has a simple and clean melodic but eerie start that builds into some squealing distorted riffs. The melodic guitar resonates out over some strange atmospheric elements before fading off to close the album. A simple but decent ending to an onslaught of brutal death. 

 EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY does a great job at melding the elements of old school death metal from the USA and melding it with elements of the swedish death metal with their various chord progressions. But they also add elements of slam death and a bit of gridcore that's coated in brutal death metal. “Origins of the Deformed” is a decent album that seems to race by quickly despite having ten tracks. Most of the tracks are relatively short  but are packed with brutal aggression that build with an intensity. For a newish death metal band, these guys have what it takes to last and I can imagine they will only advance and evolve as time goes on. I am curious to see what comes next from these guys as they further hone their craft. If you love everything brutal and with a stench of death, then this album is for you.