Autopsy

After a superbly timed day, with everything running perfectly on schedule, Autopsy's 45-minute late start proved irritating. Following their unnecessarily long set-up, the headlining band of day one finally hit the stage at 1 a.m., but were instantly forgiven as the Bay Area masters unleashed their brand of death metal/goregrind intensity. Drummer/lead vocalist Chris Reifert was unrelentingly vicious throughout their set, as he ruled with impressive authority from behind his bandmates and drum kit. Guitarists Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler, as well as newest member, bassist Joe Trevisano (ex-Abscess), displayed skilful musicianship up front, performing the band's tunes with utter force and speed. Autopsy played a variety of tracks from their catalogue, including the ominous and heavy "Hand of Darkness," and the brutal "Born Undead" from their 2011 full-length Macabre Eternal. "Funereality," from their 1992 studio album Acts of the Unspeakable, added some old-school aggression to their set. Their performance of "Mauled to Death," from their 1987 demo (recently re-recorded and featured on their latest EP, All Tomorrow's Funerals), was crushingly raw, with its gore-soaked vibe. After an hour, Autopsy were forced to end their set, but not before finishing with the hyper-fast, ferocious "Voices," which -- despite their late start and early ending -- was the perfect conclusion to the excellent beginning of the fest.