Description
Autopsy – Shitfun – Vinyl Record
Autopsy’s Shitfun (1995) is a notorious and controversial album in the history of death metal. Known for its unrelenting brutality, filthy sound, and grotesque lyrical themes, Shitfun represents a dark and chaotic chapter in the band’s career.
Shitfun was Autopsy’s fourth studio album, and it marked a significant departure from their earlier works, both sonically and lyrically. By the time Shitfun was released, Autopsy had already established themselves as one of the pioneering bands in death metal, especially with albums like Severed Survival (1989) and Mental Funeral (1991). The album was released in 1995, at a time when the death metal scene was evolving, with bands either becoming more technical or experimenting with new sounds. However, Shitfun leaned in the opposite direction, embracing a raw, primitive, and almost punk-influenced approach.
Shitfun is one of Autopsy’s most chaotic and raw-sounding albums. The production is deliberately grimy, giving the album an abrasive and unpolished feel. This rawness contributes to the overall grotesque atmosphere of the record. While Autopsy was known for blending doom-laden sections with death metal brutality, Shitfun emphasized a more straightforward, grinding, and punk-influenced approach. The album has a looser, less technical feel compared to their earlier works, often sounding more like a vicious jam session than a meticulously crafted death metal album. Songs are generally short, fast, and nasty, with many tracks barely reaching two minutes. This gives the album a relentless pace, with one grotesque song after another smashing into the listener.
The lyrics on Shitfun are an exercise in extreme shock value. Themes of violence, gore, perversion, and bodily functions dominate the record, with tracks like “Burnt to a Fuck” and “I Sodomize Your Corpse” pushing the boundaries of taste and decency.
The album’s lyrics were deliberately provocative, often leaning into sardonic humor. This crassness is part of the album’s identity—it revels in filth and degradation, and this has led to Shitfun being seen as one of the most disturbing albums in death metal. Songs such as “Humiliate Your Corpse” and “Praise the Children” reflect the shock-tactic approach, tackling themes of violence and death with a grotesque, almost cartoonish intensity.
4. Key Tracks
“Deathmask”: A standout track with a more structured and doom-laden riff, hearkening back to Autopsy’s earlier style. The slow, grinding heaviness of this song contrasts with the fast, chaotic nature of much of the album.
“I Sodomize Your Corpse”: One of the more controversial tracks, it epitomizes the shock-factor Autopsy was aiming for on Shitfun. Musically, it’s fast and brutal, with crushing riffs that match its disturbing lyrical content.
“Shit Eater”: A raw, grinding track that embraces the punk-influenced side of death metal. It’s short, aggressive, and filthy, both musically and lyrically.
“Burnt to a Fuck”: One of the most aggressive and direct tracks on the album, its vicious tempo and growled vocals make it one of the more intense listens.
At the time of its release, Shitfun was met with mixed reactions. Some fans were drawn to its unrelenting filth and aggressive attitude, appreciating its primitive death metal aesthetic. However, others were put off by its lack of refinement and overtly offensive lyrics.
In retrospect, Shitfun has gained a sort of cult status among extreme metal fans who appreciate its nihilistic, unapologetic approach to death metal. The album is divisive, with some listeners seeing it as an essential piece of Autopsy’s discography, while others view it as a low point due to its crudeness. For many, Shitfun is seen as the last hurrah for Autopsy’s first era, as the band would break up shortly after its release. Drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert and other members would go on to form Abscess, a band that leaned even more into the punk, grindcore, and noise influences seen on Shitfun.
Despite its divisive nature, Shitfun had a lasting impact on the goregrind and deathgrind subgenres of extreme metal. The fusion of death metal with punk’s raw energy and offensive lyricism would go on to influence bands in these genres, pushing the boundaries of shock and disgust even further. Autopsy’s influence can be heard in later acts like Impaled, Exhumed, and Haemorrhage, all of which drew from Autopsy’s mix of horror, filth, and death metal.
Shitfun’s aesthetic and song titles are over-the-top in a way that borders on parody, which has led some fans to appreciate its absurdity while others view it as tasteless.
After the release of Shitfun, Autopsy disbanded, and Chris Reifert and guitarist Danny Coralles went on to form Abscess, a project that further explored the raw, punk-inflected sound hinted at on Shitfun. In 2009, Autopsy reunited, releasing new material that returned to their classic death-doom sound, although Shitfun remains a divisive yet pivotal part of their catalog.
Shitfun is an album that pushes the boundaries of extremity in both its sound and subject matter. While it may not be as revered as earlier Autopsy albums, its rawness and willingness to delve into the grotesque make it an important, if controversial, entry in the death metal genre. It’s an album for those who appreciate the most visceral, unrefined aspects of extreme metal, and it stands as a testament to Autopsy’s ability to shock, provoke, and challenge even the most hardened of metal listeners.
180 Gram Vinyl
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Deathmask
Humiliate Your Corpse
Fuckdog
Praise The Children
The Birthing
Shit Eater
Formaldehigh
I Sodomize Your Corpse
Geek
Brain Damage
Blood Orgy
No More Hate
Grave Violators
Maim Rape Kill Rape
I Shit On Your Grave
An End To The Misery
The 24 Public Mutilations
Bathe In Fire
Bowel Ripper
Burnt To A Fuck
Excremental Ecstasy
