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Not their strongest effort, but still a solid release none the less.-
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| Exhumed: Anatomy is Destiny |
Death Metal, Grindcore
Relapse Records
July 29th, 2003
- Anatomy is Destiny - 1:09
- Waxwork - 4:34
- The Matter of Splatter - 3:41
- Under the Knife - 5:00
- Consuming Impulse - 4:21
- Grotesqueries - 3:59
- In the Name of Gore - 4:48
- Arclight - 3:18
- Nativity Obscene (A Nursery Chyme) - 3:43
- Death Walks Behind You - 3:31
- A Song for the Dead - 6:59
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| Review Information |
Release length: 45:09
Review posted on July 3rd, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Goregasm (1992) • Gore Metal (1998) • Slaughtercult (2000) • Anatomy is Destiny (2003)
Garbage Daze Re-Regurgitated (2005) • All Guts, No Glory (2011)
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| EP(s): |
Excreting Innards (1992)
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| Split(s): |
Exhumed/Haemorrhage (1995) • In the Name of Gore (1996) • Blood and Alcohol (1996) • Chords of Chaos (1997)
Exhumed/No Comply (1997) • Pray for War/Tales of the Exhumed (1998) • Indignities to the Dead/Lujuria de Chivo (1998)
Totally Fucking Dead/Sterility (1998) • Recordings 2000 (2000) • Exhumed/Gadget (2001)
Deceased in the East/Extirpated Live Emanations (2003) • Something Sickened this Way Comes/To Clone and to Enforce (2006)
HF Seveninches Collection Vol. 1 (2008)
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| Demo(s): |
Dissecting the Caseated Omentum (1992) • Excreting Innards (1992) • Cadaveric Splatter Platter (1993)
Grotesuq Putrefied Brains (1993) • Horrific Expulsions of Gore (1994) • Rehearsal 99-00 (2000)
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| Compilation(s): |
Platters of Splatter (2004)
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| Review |
Exhumed had always put their best Death Metal meets Grindcore foot forward, despite having started out as just a Goregrind act. Over the years, the band had put out a few albums, including a debut that never saw an official release to hit store shelves. Despite that, the group signed to Relapse Records, and the onslaught that ensued from the band's rather unique and energetic approach threw Exhumed into the forefront of the Death Metal and Grindcore worlds. Three years after their cult classic Slaughtercult hit store shelves, the group recorded their follow-up effort, Anatomy is Destiny, which would become the band's last original material full-length prior to their breaking up. And, much like many other pioneers of this style, the band had been slowly changing their sound, and with Anatomy is Destiny, they introduced a tamer, more Death Metal focused release. But, does this leave Exhumed at the forefront, or did this effort seem to get lost in the many Death Metal acts of it's time.
While Exhumed had been known for adrenaline fueled brutality and aggression, Anatomy is Destiny puts a different light on the group. Though much of this effort seemed to take from Slaughtercult, it has it's own unique ups and downs. The production to the recording was about the same as far as the clarity went, but the instruments had a lower volume, and the distortion was nowhere near as deep or brutal as it had been in the past. Instead, they are a little cleaner here, and even the drums feels that way too, though every part of the kit sounds great and works with the lower guitars and the distortion. The bass is present and, again, becomes an important part of maintaining a deeper sound to the music and retaining the overall Death Metal groove, but that is when it does appear. Anatomy is Destiny seems to often deviate from having that groove to incorporating other styles of Death Metal, primarily an influence from Swedish Death Metal bands mixed with more modern American Death Metal, all blended together with some random Grindcore specific moments that act more as bridges then actual parts of the songs.
On top of that, the overall energy of Exhumed just feels really toned down. You can tell the band is still enjoying playing the material, but at the same time it just feels like a more professional. While this isn't really the worst thing possible, the overall lack of energy leaves the album feeling heavy and slightly intimidating, but in no way does it have the same punch that a recording like this should have. This leads to some of the tracks on the recording feeling a little bland and at times lifeless, such as "Waxwork" with it's less energetic aggression, and "Under the Knife" that has a little more energy, but at the same time lacks any sort of intimidating atmosphere. There's also a number of slower moments to appear in the album, such as with the aforementioned "Under the Knife", where the music goes into a more traditional Death Metal guitar solo, while the song doesn't necessarily incorporate any sort of Grindcore elements to the recording until the very end, leaving it to sound a bit more like a traditional Death Metal recording then what "Waxwork" and the introductory track "Anatomy is Destiny" manages to establish.
Of course, this isn't to say this is a bad album. Anatomy is Destiny is just a whole new experience entirely. While there's a lack of energy and atmosphere, the music is still solid and enjoyable for what it is. "Consuming Impulse" is one of the first tracks to really focus on a Grindcore sound and reminds fans what Exhumed is all about, and the aggression of the music coupled with deep gutturals and sinister sounding rhaspy vocals really compliments this well. But, in comparison, you also have "Waxwork", s song that has a few brief moments of grinding, all set up nicely through the building suspense of "Anatomy is Destiny", but then hammers into a decent mixture of both styles that lets the band bare their teeth and show a little promise towards the band's newly altered style. The vocals eventually pick up in energy, the music feels a bit punishing with a strong brutal atmosphere, and it really gets the listener pumped for what's to come, and eventually grow on the established fans who are indifferent towards the rather odd change to the band's approach.
There's also the fact that a good number of well loved Exhumed tracks happen to come from this album, and for good reason. "The Matter of Splatter" is another song that nicely captures the Exhumed spirit of energy and brutality, but once again goes into using that slower pace for a guitar solo. This track, however, does manage to transition into it well, and the solo itself works for the Death Metal approach utilized in the song, and doesn't sound like some kind of Heavy Metal hybrid like on "Waxwork". There's also "Grotesqueries", which isn't considered that big a hit of Exhumed, but it's one that many still enjoy and have a strong connection to. It's one of the songs on here that best exemplifies the group's capabilities to write and perform a strong Death Metal track and just incorporate that kind of an attitude towards it, and still retain that fire that "The Matter of Splatter" had. Of course, the extra groove to the song "In the Name of Gore" really sets this song up nicely, and the guitar solo towards the end really just pushes it over the top. The only complaint here is that the song should have just ended with that solo instead of carrying out any further from there with it's Grindcore presence mixed in. There's also "Nativity Obscene - A Nursery Chyme" which features a child singing along against the heavier, faster music (ot at least one would assume it's a child and not a member of the band) as if performing a nursering rhyhm in harmony to the music. It becomes a very interesting element that really breaks up the pace of the music and just adds a little extra kick to the music due to how haunting it ends up sounding in the mix. There'ds also "A Song for the Dead" which is the longest on the album, but packs for fury and energy in it then any other song, and starts off with an orchestral sound bite that puts the song in the right atmosphere before hammering away at the listener.
Overall, Anatomy is Destiny is not quite the best album by Exhumed, but at the same time it's still Exhumed, just branching out a bit more while trying to retain what makes them who they are. Yes there are tracks that just don't quite have the biggest impact on the listener, but what's more important is the recording is full of solid material, despite the lacking energy and slower moments that feel uncharacteristic, and some slower parts that just feel out of place. This new approach leads to some very interesting and still great tracks, and some that simply don't stand out too well on their own. Anatomy is Destiny is another album that will have you walking away at the end feeling content, but not fully satisfied for many reasons, but not enough to keep you away from this album and the number of solid tracks it still holds. While light on aggression, intimidation and brutality, it tries it's best and manages to succeed, and for that it becomes an album that you should hear, especially if you're a fan of the group's older material.
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