Brace Yourself: Fit For An Autopsy Bring The Breakdown To Australia
‘It’s the idea of never being able to escape the inevitable. The idea of being controlled, being oppressed and falling in line to the people that would have you do that. You watch the video and it’s a very clear picture. They’re trying to force a confession of submission and it feels like there’s a lot of that going on in the world today. It felt like that was the thing we needed to do.’
Patrick Sheridan, guitarist of American deathcore band Fit For An Autopsy, discusses the bands most recent video It Comes For You, the upcoming tour of Australia including Froth & Fury Festival and, checks notes, coffee. First, let’s get back to the video.
‘The song is extremely aggressive and the video is extremely aggressive and it’s the idea of these things can come for any one of us. Once they start happening in one place, they can come for you no matter where you are or who you are or what you’re doing. It’s just a matter of when, where, how and who. That’s the idea behind all of it. The lyrics are very self-explanatory, you know what I mean? The last line in the song reflects on prying my ideas out of my cold dead hands. You’ll never take this from me, but you’re trying to oppress me and this can come for anybody.’
Is it life intimating art or vice versa when you consider the current run of events in the UK and closer to Patrick’s home in America. Patrick is forthright in his thoughts.
‘One hundred percent is about that. There’s no question. It’s not just about ICE. It’s not just about things that are happening here that are on the surface. It’s about everything. It’s about the way that our country is being driven in the current state of things and where we’re being forced to go. Some people think they’re safe, and I mean are you? Doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, you don’t know. Our country is crazy right now and some of the things that are happening, it’s like you watch it and it doesn’t feel real. It’s like whoever is doing this, watched too many sci-fi movies, it just feels like a fucking movie script right now. We have always been influenced by current events and what’s going on and if there’s something happening in the world and in one of our songs, you get a feeling that we’re referencing that, there’s a chance that you’re right.’
After a further jaunt across Europe to complete the year, Fit For An Autopsy will reach over to Australia for their own headline run across the country, finishing in Perth’s version of Froth & Fury Festival.
‘When we do a headliner set and we have a little bit more freedom, we’ll do the stuff we want to do. We know that the people that support us, they’re going to want hear certain songs. They want to hear the new single, they want to hear the most popular song. They want to hear ‘Far From Heaven’. Probably want to hear ‘Black Mammoth’, ‘Sea Of Tragic Beasts’ is always a hit. But I want to play ‘Warfare.’ I want to do ‘Birds Of Prey’, I want to do the songs that I want to play. We’ll throw those songs into an hour and ten minute set, So those people will get a little more from us. The festival, we’re just going to smash everybody in the face with all the fucking bangers and just move it on. You know what I mean?’
Yes we do, which brings us to another banger, the cup of coffee lovingly given to him by his wife during the interview and Patrick’s love of the dark stuff that goes beyond a simple cup. A collaboration with British manufacturers Oddy Knocky Coffee recently launched at their British run of shows. See, not all metalheads are just angry non-conformists.
‘Oh, you are a beautiful person. Very dark. It’s going to be wonderful. Thank you so much. Oh my God, that’s great. That’s fantastic. So, I’m straight edge. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke weed. I don’t do any of those things. I have these careers that are so unbelievably demanding that I needed an outlet that I could talk to people that don’t know anything about metal, that don’t care about guitars or tattoos. Coffee was a thing I always enjoyed, but I never knew that there was a culture behind it. It used to just be Starbucks, but my friend would be like, oh, you have to try this place, it’s great. One day I tried a co-ferment, which is like fermented, yeasty, fruity, and I was blown away and hooked like that. Then I started meeting people from all walks of life that were not tied into the world that I come from, but now musicians everywhere talk about coffee, they all love it. It’s a huge part of the music touring culture. Find good coffee shops, get good coffee. So, it became this thing that is now a part of what I already do.’
Interview By Iain McCallum
Catch Fit For An Autopsy on the following dates, tickets from Human Warfare…
Also appearing at Froth & Fury In Perth, tickets HERE…
