Fuck the two-year album cycle, am I right? It seems like September 2015 was only yesterday when I gave Fit For An Autopsy’s previous release, Absolute Hope, Absolute Hell, a perfect 5/5 score and promptly pissed off what was at least half of our readers. One-and-a-half years later, that album still kicks just as much ass, and FFAA are dropping their newest record, The Great Collapse.

The Great Collapse, just like everything else in the FFAA catalog, is unbelievably well-done. This is an album with a message and a mission, and it gets them across through the sheer blunt force of a 40-minute auditory assault that reflects the current dismal state of the world around us. From bringing war to the Western world in “Heads Will Hang,” to the pain-filled, environmental “Black Mammoth” to “Iron Moon,” which refutes the idea that we all live to work rather than the other way around, this album will make you feel depressed and angry about the world. And it should, because in case you haven’t noticed, the condition of our planet — especially the United States — is a proverbial dumpster fire.

So other than the message, what is there to love about this album? Well, pretty much everything. There are nine tracks on The Great Collapse, and none of them are songs you’ll find yourself skipping in a few weeks after you’ve had some time to fully soak in the record. “Black Mammoth,” FFAA’s take on the Standing Rock/Dakota Access Pipeline, is easily the album’s standout track. Take a look at the lyrics in the chorus:

Rejoice in masses.

The tribe collapses.

The mother weeps in her dying breath.

Rise from the ashes, oh foul Black Mammoth.

Dead in spirit, now dead in flesh.

If this doesn’t make you feel absolutely miserable — not only for the Native Americans losing their fight with the oil industry but also for our planet — then you’re probably not very in touch with reality. Joe Badolato’s current events-inspired words are a rarity in extreme metal, and when you pair them with Will Putney’s guitar work and Josean Orta’s drumming, you’ve got one hell of an album on your hands.

So with all that love, why only a 4.5 horns rating instead of another perfect 5/5? Although I would say the album as a whole works better to get its point across than Absolute Hope, Absolute Hell, it just doesn’t have the same oomph. This album chugs harder and heavier than a frat boy with a case of Natty Lite and his dad’s credit card, but the breakdowns in “Heads Will Hang” and “Iron Moon” feel like getting a bare knuckle uppercut to your chin, whereas Absolute‘s title track and “Saltwound” felt like getting kicked in the nads with a steel-toed boot. It’s a minor knock, but it’s still something I notice with each listen. It’s also the first and last time I would ever prefer getting kicked in the balls to being punched in the face.

The Great Collapse is an incredible album that I’ll be blasting for years to come, but even if you’re not a Fit For An Autopsy fan there has never been a better time to hop on the ship than now. As The Great Collapse will remind you, our world is fucked and you should be taking the first opportunity out that you can. From the almighty “Hydra” to the dizzying descent of “Spiral,” The Great Collapse has begun and won’t stop until everything beneath it is crushed.

The Great Collapse drops March 17 via eOne/Good Fight in North America and SPV everywhere else. You can preorder it here. Listen to guitarist/producer Will Putney guest on the MetalSucks Podcast here.