EP Review: Shadows Without Light Part Two by Foul Body Autopsy (Self Released)

Foul Body Autopsy return with Shadows Without Light Part Two, the second in what will be a trilogy of music, set for independent release on the 1st of May.

The long running project of the supremely talented Tom Reynolds started back in 2010. Named after the Necrophagist song, Foul Body Autopsy hit hard with a layered melodic death metal sound with every single note and sound handled by Tom. With 10 EPs, plenty of singles, 2 full lengths’ and a compilation behind him, he clearly likes to keep busy.

Most recently, in October 2021 Foul Body Autopsy unveiled Shadows Without Light: Part One. Having already tackled the difficult subject of mental health on his Consumed By Black Thoughts release, with the Shadows Without Light trilogy Tom explores the concepts of grief and loss. The songs are a record of Tom’s own personal experience as he navigates the often overwhelming tides of sorrow that accompany bereavement. He hopes that these musical records can maybe “help someone else along the way.”

Shadows Without Light: Part Two follows the same compositional structure as the highly praised …Part One; featuring three different interpretations of the same song. The complete Shadows Without Light: Part One creative team remains intact for …Part Two, with producer extraordinaire Russ Russell (Napalm Death etc) creating the rich layers of sound and Arif Rot of Wormrot again creating the stunning, unmistakeable art work.

Lost within the veils of grief; one parted and pushed aside reveals another. The sheets of grey surround me like an encircling shroud, a winding sheet to hold me fast in stillness and blind me in an eternal silence with no breath left to scream. Entombed in a sadness that has hollowed me, torn out my heart with quiet violence; I am dead, endlessly searching for my grave. Exhausted, only wanting to lay my head beneath the soil in fervent hope of the longest, dreamless sleep.

So three unique versions of the same track, Shadows Without Light Part Two starts off with the standard version. A 5 minute long melodic death metal masterpiece that attacks your senses in a flurry of powerful drums and punchy riffs. The vocals are harsh and heavy with tons of depth and meaningful lyrical content. The second backing line of vocals in the chorus adds a pretty epic feel to the chorus and well placed melodic lead guitar just elevates the track to another level. As well as just being chock full of quality metal, everything works really well together creating a hugely atmospheric track that shrouds you in feeling. It’s a wonderful song, supremely heavy but beautiful through it’s honesty.

The second version, Shadows Without Light Part Two (Hybrid Mix) takes the original track and combines the guitars and vocals with synth and atmospherics. It’s quite a unique sound but managing to keep a lot of the metal elements in there keeps it metal enough that I can still enjoy it a lot. I really like how it has essentially become a completely new track, related to the original but not just a copy with a ton of electronica chucked at it. It still feels thoughtful and intelligent, just a different view of the same content.

The third and final version, Shadows Without Light Part Two (Synth Wave Mix) was always going to be the one I struggled with the most as it basically drops pretty much all of the traditional instruments and goes full on Synth Wave. I do still like the way it is clearly still identifiable as related to the original. In some ways it feels lighter, a little more optimistic perhaps. It also sounds wonderfully like an 80’s film sound track. I have no doubt many people will love this version. It’s clever, just for me personally, it was a nice one time listen but when I have the first standard version, I can’t see myself ever needing to return to the remixes again.

Shadows Without Light Part Two comes with three songs, that somehow manage to be the same song but feel, and make you feel, completely different. Personal taste will dictate whether the remixes are enjoyable one offs or songs you return to buyt with the main song being of such immense quality, no matter where you sit, you are on to a winner with this EP. An intelligent and expansive release with a main track that exudes quality, emotion and honesty.

Preorder Shadows Without Light Part Two from Bandcamp here.

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