EXHUMED BAND PAGE
 EXHUMED
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CURRENT NAME
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Exhumed |
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FORMER NAMES
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- |
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ORIGIN
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USA |
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STATUS
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Active |
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FORMED IN
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- |
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LABEL
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Relapse Records |
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GENRE
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Death metal |
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STYLE
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- |
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LYRICAL THEME
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- |
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BAND ADDED
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2005-05-09, 00:00 |
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LAST UPDATE
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2008-01-08, 02:45 |
Excreting their malignant essence onto an unsuspecting Metal scene in 1998 with their confrontational debut full-length, “Gore Metal”, Exhumed have since become synonymous with the genre they helped brand. Their signature sound, a savage blend of snarling, grinding down-tuned guitars, alternately abrasively screeched and grotesquely gurgled vocals, and pummeling, straightforward drumming, have become universally recognized as the hallmarks of the style now called Gore Metal. Taking these elements several steps beyond their previous works, including the barbarically stripped-down, in-your-face approach of their sophomore effort, “Slaughtercult”, Exhumed have returned with their third full-length album, “Anatomy is Destiny”.
Formed by guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey and drummer Col Jones in 1991 (when they were then both at the tender age of 15 years old), the band spent much of the 1990’s working through a series of line-ups, demos, and 7” EP’s. After adding guitarist Mike Beams to the fold (which at that time also included bassist/vocalist Ross Sewage) in early 1998, the band’s underground legwork culminated in their signing with the infamous multi-death corporation Relapse Records. Their initial salvo, “Gore Metal” was the first record of its style to be released by an American band on an American label (the bands only peers up until that point were European acts such as Haemorrhage, Dead Infection, Regurgitate, etc.). Exhumed’s fierce blend of Carcass-inspired Grindcore and classic Thrash Metal shattered many of the preconceptions of what “gore” could sound like. “Gore Metal” instantly polarized the opinions of metal journalists and fans and the band’s over-the-top stage show quickly gained them notoriety performing at the inaugural Metal festivals in New Jersey and New England in 1999.
After replacing Ross Sewage with touring bassist Bud Burke (whose unique projectile vomiting capability provided a new level of depravity to the Exhumed stage show), the band hit the road as part of the first ever Relapse Contamination tour in 1999, and then began work on their sophomore effort, 2000’s “Slaughtercult”. “Slaughtercult” was an unrelenting barrage of nightmarish riffing and hell-for-leather drum blasts punctuated by the complete lack of any computer-editing, fancy effects, drum triggering or anything remotely “polished” sounding. The album’s live feel was the result of the confidence the band had gained from their first long-haul US tour and showcased an even more immediate and violent direction than “Gore Metal”. Immediately prior to the album’s release the band embarked on an 8 week US tour, first with Norway’s Mayhem and then as the headliner of the second Relapse Contamination tour. Returning to the road in 2001, Exhumed headlined tours in Canada and Europe (culminating in an appearance at the prestigious Wacken Open Air Festival and headlining both the Fuck the Commerce and Obscene Extreme Open Air Festivals) and supported Mortician, Morbid Angel, Deicide and Soilent Green in the US.
Finally in the summer of 2002, the band began work on “Anatomy is Destiny” in earnest. Crafting more intricate and fully-developed songs than they had ever composed in their decade of existence, the material was painstakingly dissected and picked over, in stark contrast to the spontaneous and loose feel of “Slaughtercult”. During the writing process the band found time to make a headlining trek to Japan and to provide support to Rob Halford and Testament throughout the West Coast, honing their new material and conquering new territory not only for the band, but for the Gore genre as the band played in such incongruous venues as the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel in Las Vegas and Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim. Now that the record is done, it is clear that “Anatomy is Destiny” shows a significant step forward in terms of lyrical content, production, overall musicianship and an ambitious penchant for powerful songwriting without sacrificing the putrescent core of what Exhumed has always stood for. Enlisting the skills of uber-producer Neil Kernon (Queensryche, Dokken, Judas Priest, etc.) to realize their vision of a tighter, cleaner breed of splatter, Exhumed has realized massive growth in all facets, while simultaneously keeping sight of the importance of extremity and with the band’s vitriolic approach 100% intact. Lyrically more sophisticated and verbose than ever, Exhumed has turned their scalpel-sharp barbs on a variety of subjects, including themselves and the Gore genre, society, and the very concepts that are at the heart of their macabre lyrical stance; deconstructing the meaning (or meaninglessness) of life, death, and even birth with a sardonic, cynical and undeniably intelligent contempt. “Anatomy is Destiny” shows the band transcending the gratuity of the “sickness for sickness’ sake” approach peers and finding that real virulence and intelligence go hand in hand. Musically, “Anatomy is Destiny” shows a brutalizing synthesis of the band’s extreme Grindcore roots with over-the-top guitar solos, unabashedly Metallic riffing and intricate song structure. Not content to simply batter the listener senseless, Exhumed have incorporated a more dynamic and varied approach that has opened up a whole new facet of their sound. Exhumed has continued to redefine what the “Gore Metal” genre is capable of. “Anatomy is Destiny” elevates both the band and the genre above its low-fi roots and will defy the preconceptions of fans and critics alike, all without any compromise in integrity or intensity.
