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When you talk to any of the modern Goregrind bands, even Death Metal/Grindcore acts, some of the main inspirations for them are those who really stood out and pioneered the style. Acts like Exhumed, Carcass, and the Death/Grind act Napalm Death really helped to usher in a more brutal approach to these styles, and really created a stong presence that woold be felt for many years to come. One of the main inspirations cited for plenty of these bands, however, has been Exhumed. This group formed back in 1990 and eventually signed to Relapse Records. With an independent full-length release that never hit store shelves titled Gorgasm, and three original full-length recordings and a plethora of splits under the Relapse namesake, then a compilation cover album to end their career, the first and final releases both being out of print. However, all of these are still considered pivotol albums for the style, and carried on the band's legacy after the group had called it a day.
Recently, Exhumed had reformed once again to play some festival dates, and eventually the band decided to pull together and put out a new album. Throughout their career, it was obvious the band had left behind their Goregrind roots in favor of the whole Death Metal meets Grindcore approach. With their latest effort, All Guts, No Glory currently on store shelves, a lot of fans are excited to hear new material, but at the same time fear the time apart may very well have been enough to hurt the overall sound of Exhumed, especially given the not quite as engaging performance on Anatomy is Destiny. Well, I sat down and reviewed all the more important full-lengths I could legally get my hands on, which means the three I already owned and the latest promo from Relapse Records, and present them all from a critical stand point, and present Exhumed in the artist spotlight and offer my personal opinions on the band, and their efforts I had the opportunity to spend time with.
Gore Metal
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Gore Metal is considered one of the best Goregrind/Death Metal efforts available. Sure you'll find some people who bash the album, but even they can't deny how influential to the Goregrind style this album, and Exhumed's earlier recordings were to many of today's bands in the style. Of course, all of this can easily be justified by one simple listen. I never had the chance to pick this album up, but about a year ago a local store had this and the other three listed here, and I immediately grabbed them up. Of course, this was the one that stuck out the most. The material was energetic, it felt dirty and gruesome against it's cleaner, production, as if the album were staining it's white butcher cloth with the blood of it's victims in my presence. This is the album that hooked me on Exhumed, and one listen by any fan will probably do the same.
Of course, this one I could listen to for hours. Unfortunately it sat too long on the shelves in my apartment, and eventually I kind of forgot about the album. For this spotlight, it went right in the car stereo, and for about a week it stayed there until I could part with taking it out for this night of Exhumed. The pounding, bludgeoning material, the sinister sound, the grotesuq Goregrind mixed with brutalizing Death Metal, it's all I could have wanted or needed in a band, and with that, I became re-addicted to this group, and it felt like finding a long lost love again after years of searching. If you're going to start anywhere with Exhumed, this is the album I suggest.
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Slaughtercult
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Of course, then you have Slaughtercult. It's bigger. It's more intense. It's even more grotesque and sinister. Personally, I can listen to this album until the plastic melts in the player. It's such a strong recording full of energy. The only problem I can't look past is the production on the vocals, both in a critical and personal point. It's just a little too annoying and cheap compared to how intense and vibrant everything else on this recording is. But, this album also seem to just really feel less unique at times. It never gets to the point where you'll say "I heard that a bit ago!" but it'll start to grow a little old after a while with the main saving grace being the overall intensity of the album.
A lot of people say this more ruthless track is really where the band started to shine through, but it's clear there was more of a Death Metal presence one could compare to acts like Impaled, Ghoul, and practically any band on the Razorback Records label. It wasn't the most unique at the time, but it was done well, and it had a lot of tracks that made you want to bang your head or just get up and punch somebody in the face. It was a violent release that fueled blood to a boil in any listener, and for that it also stands out as a strong release, but just under Gore Metal.
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Anatomy is Destiny
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But, this is where things start to get iffy. Anatomy is Destiny found the production of the album to focus away from the heavy distortion and brutal atmospheres, and it just didn't quite sound right. When you crank the album, it's still a solid effort, and definitely sounds better since everything, including the bass, seems to become a little more dominant in the mix. But, the energy felt a little restrained, and just came off a bit robotic, as if the band entered the studio and just hammered the material out instead of being excited to record it.
And that becomes it's biggest downfall in a casual listen. You want to enjoy the album, but there's just so many tracks where you feel like the band didn't even really enjoy recording it. It's not bad, it's just not as energetic or intense. I personally barely ever touch this album. In fact, for this review, it was probably the third, maybe fourth time it ever actually went into my CD player. I wasn't all that impressed, and with it's more Death Metal influence I saw promise, but it was obviously something the band would have to work on developing as they continued to progress more and more away from their Goregrind roots. In all it's not bad, but not one I really would recomend unless you're a fan of Exhumed.
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All Guts, No Glory
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Exhumed returns to the metal world in 2011 with a new studio offering. Sure they were around before that, but this is the return full-length, the one the fans were supposed to be waiting for, and you can tell time both helped and hurt the band. The more modern production just really helps to capture the brutality and intensity the band had been trying to achieve since Gore Metal, and it's clear the group has managed to work the stronger Death Metal input into the music in a very menacing and malicious manner, but there's still some areas that need work. The guitar solos still sometimes feel a little forced into a Heavy Metal sound, and there seems to be a bit of Thrash influence that works well when it approaches, but those solo issues and the way the higher vocals are on the recording hold it back from being a brutalizing masterpiece.
But, on a personal level, it's an album you need to at least pay attention to once. The first time I sat down to this release, I had it on as background noise, and I just couldn't stand it. I thought it was garbage honestly. But, upon sitting down with it and hearing the whole effort, some of the faults that left me disliking it were made up for with the sheer intensity and brutality of the album. This is Exhumed, pure and simple, it's just one that has matured nicely like a fine wine. While it's a new album, I wouldn't necessarily suggest you start here, but it's still an album you're going to love despite where you start. And, as a fan of these guys for a long while (even though I only recently acquired the earlier three full-lengths I reviewed here I've heard the albums before through borrowed albums and at friend's houses and whatnot), it's the album that us fans have been waiting for to come out since Anatomy is Destiny, and I'll stand by my statement that this is what they meant to put out for that album.
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What more could be said? Exhumed has proven themselves a force to be reckoned with time and time again. Though not all of their material has been the best, and there's a lot of split releases out there to discover, they still managed to really grab fans by the throat and command their respect. While some refuse to give it, plenty still do and follow this band closely. It's great to see the band recording newm aterial again, and hopefully their next effort will be as strong, if not stronger then All Guts, No Glory, or even their earlier material. Perhaps one day we'll also get a proper release for Goregasm, but who's to say whether or not that will happen.
Either way, this band has made their mark in the Metal world. It's rare to see the Metal community get riled up for the return of a band. Many old-school Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Heavy Metal, etc. bands have returned from the grave, or just out of obscurity, but it's hard to ever see a band make waves as big as Exhumed when a new release is issued. If you haven't had a chance to check these guys out, I strongly suggest you take the time out, and consider this article a good suggestion of where to start with them. It's great to have Exhumed on the top of their game, and for those who forgot how important this band was and still is, take this spotlight feature as a reminder.
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