EXHUMED – Wish I Would Have Known About Them In The 90s.

Exhumed is the death metal juggernaut I missed. I wish I had known about them in the ’90s!

Lately, my day job has me traveling more than expected. One of the first things I scope out whenever I’m visiting a new city is a record store.

Last year, I was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) and I hit up an establishment in south Philly called Sit and Spin Records. A little shop not more than 20 minutes from the airport, the place offered a ton of vinyl as well as my favorite physical medium, compact disc.

Exhumed is a Death Metal quartet from San Jose, California, established back in 1990. Unbelievably, the groups founding member, Matt Harvey (Guitars, Vocals) was just 15 years old at the time of the band’s inception.

Their music incorporates all of the best elements of the death metal genre. If you spliced the melodic rampage of Gorguts (Considered Dead) with the surgical guitar solos of Carcass (Heartwork, Despicable) you’d find yourself close to the blood-drenched onslaught this band unleashes.

Exhumed’s relative obscurity appears largely due to location and lack of social media at the time. Situated in centrally Chicago, I was more likely to hear about bands from Florida’s famed death metal scene (Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary) than a group from across the country in a state known primarily for goregrind / thrash.

The album I picked up that day was All Guts No Glory (2011) but I have also obtained copies of Slaughtercult (2000) and Horror (2019). I personally think Slaughtercult is the best of the lot, but my ears are screaming for more! Exhumed is the death metal juggernaut I missed. I wish I had known about them in the ’90s!

Further research led me to the band’s 3rd effort, Anatomy Is Destiny. Released in 2003, this has been considered by many to be the group’s pinnacle achievement. The album’s title is taken from a well-known quote by famed physiologist Sigmund Freud. Offering more complex arrangements and a polished production, it’s hard to not consider this to be the band’s best effort to date.

Exhumed is still an active band. In fact, they just self-released a new EP last year entitled Beyond The Dead! The effort contains four new punishing tracks and well as a couple of live recordings including a brutal rendition of the classic song “In My Human Slaughterhouse” off 1998’s classic album, Gore Metal!

One of the things that makes music great is its longevity. A foothold in history, a means of going back and re-living the past. Check out the music of Exhumed and relive the blood soaked glory of death metal! \m/