Tomb Within

This five-song blast from the death-grind pioneers breaks absolutely no new ground. They are the same band they were on 1991's Mental Funeral, playing punky blasts that occasionally devolve into doomy interludes loaded with crude power. Indeed, three of the four players on this EP were original bandmembers; only bassist Joe Trevisano is new. As always, drummer Chris Reifert's vocals are hoarse and barely musical, but they complement the waves of noise coming from guitarists Eric Cutler and Danny Coralles quite well, as Trevisano throbs mightily beneath. Younger listeners who prize crispness and precision in their death metal will find this barely one step above the crude pummeling of your average punk band, but old-schoolers will immediately recognize that a) that's the point, and b) Autopsy are masters of the form and have returned at peak strength. ~ Phil Freeman