Interview by Kris Peters
The common perception with iconic bands is that their musical output understandably slows the longer their careers go on.
This could be for a variety of factors that are too many to mention, but no matter how many excuses there are, try telling legendary Californian death metal outfit Autopsy that they should be slowing down.
Coming just 12 months after the release of Morbidity Triumphant, the timeless warriors last week unveiled another slab of metal excellence in the form of Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts.
A sonic barrage that sounds as if it were conceived in the bowels of Hell itself, Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts is, if anything, an ever more polished performance from Autopsy given that new bass player Greg Wilkinson not only has one album under his belt before this release, but also the fact he had more involvement in the complete album cycle.
Wilkinson joined HEAVY earlier for a chat about the new material and more.
"It's been good," he smiled at the response to the new album. "It was kind of scary putting two albums a year apart and some people were definitely nervous at how are they gonna put two records out and make them good."
I point out the above-mentioned fact that bands generally reduce their output in the latter stages of their career, a point which he shrugs off casually.
"I can't speak on behalf of before me joining the band, but there was that whole COVID lockdown thing," he measured, "that I think maybe built a little back up. And then me joining the band nad also having input in that stuff. There was four of us who could all write songs, so you have four people, you have a big break from shows; from writing records; from recording. The whole world shut down for a year and a half, so I'm sure those are all elements that came into play. In the end, the fact of the matter is I think once we get the wheels rolling we just keep going. It seems like we just kept going. Kinetic energy, that's my answer."
In the full interview, Greg talks about the musical side of the new album, how it differs sonically to Morbidity Triumphant, how the singles released represent the album, the horror-inspired film clip for Rabid Funeral, how he is settling into his role in the band after joining in 2021, how he came to be a member of Autopsy and more.