back to the future: Exhumed (U.S.): Gore Metal: A Necrospective 1998-2015 (Relapse Records)

Exhumed (U.S.): Gore Metal: A Necrospective 1998-2015 (Relapse Records)

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

On the surface Exhumed appears to be a joke band, like Gwar, leading some people to think it is all a gimmick, with little effort dedicated to instrumentation, as if Exhumed is a bunch of old con men trying to avoid having a day job by tricking “the kids” with horror movie tomfoolery.

Recently, there was a video of Exhumed as a musical guest at a television comedy show. The man that hosts said show literally runs around throwing himself at and crashing into furniture, walls and people, like a crazed professional wrestler, or a child after eating lots of candy. Anyway, that particular episode ended with Exhumed onstage performing one of their many famous hits, with The Supremes doing backup vocals. The Supremes, you understand?

Nevertheless, there is a lot more to Exhumed than just horror and gore imagery.

Do you know what Exhumed is? Exhumed is experienced, skilled death metal with catchy riffs, shredding and melodies.

“Gore Metal” is Exhumed’s 1998 debut album. Now here is a new, re-recorded version of “Gore Metal” with a better, clearer sound. The band cannot hide the fact that they know how to write fast songs and make them very good. Exhumed is skilled at writing melodies, yes, melodies, great riffs and songs. This new version also includes the old album so you can compare and contrast. Nostalgia aside, it is more than evident that the new album is more professional, so much that while the 1998 album sounds a like good death metal album, compared with the new version, the 1998 album has underdeveloped ideas, sounds a bit more rushed, while now Exhumed is very comfortable, skilled and knowledgeable so now they are free to do just about whatever they want in a song and still make it sound like Exhumed. For instance, there is a whole lot of melody and shredding, and one wonders whether anyone will even notice how much traditional heavy metal there is in Exhumed. Think what you will about the gimmicks, but the music is undeniable. www.relapse.com

www.facebook.com/ExhumedOfficial

Exhumed - Necromaniac (2015 Redux)