EXHUMED - Anatomy Is Destiny
1. Anatomy Is Destiny
2. Waxwork
3. The Matter Of Splatter
4. Under The Knife
5. Consuming Impulse
6. Grotesqueries
7. In The Name Of Gore
8. Arclight
9. Nativity Obscene- A Nursery Chyme
10. Death Walks Behind You
11. A Song For The Dead
Label: Relapse Records
Release date: 2003
Artist site: http://www.exhumed.us/
GRADE:
10/10
First of all, this CD should be subtitled "What would have come after Necroticism if CARCASS hadn't started sucking." This platter of splatter is absolutely brutal! EXHUMED have really outdone themselves this time around. With a perfect production by Neil "I must be Relapse's house producer now" Kernon, Anatomy Is Destiny slays the competition. Seriously, all goregrind bands will have to kick it up a notch to even come close. The sheer professionalism and musicianship of this release will make many who made fun of the genre stand up and take notice. This from a band who's known for having a bassist that can projectile vomit at will.
One of the first things I noticed was that the cover wasn't your usual hackjob of gore, looking to quickly offend a potential listener. In fact, the cover is rather subdued by their standards and should easily infiltrate the Best Buy store shelves. That being said, once inside, the lyric book is beautifully sick and brutal, with spreads of blood, brains and other bodily matter to entice the eye while reading their disturbing odes to Walker, Steer, Owen and Amott. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey along with said bassist Bud Burke, guitarist/vocalist Mike Beams and drummer Col. Jones (who recently departed to concentrate on his career as a moleculor biologist) have come up with the best release of their careers, perhaps even the best death metal release of 2003.
The title track is a short, eerie intro before blasting off into "Waxwork," a full on exercise in pure, uncompromising death metal. A rollercoaster ride of twisting tempos and blazing guitar riffs, this one is sure to rip your fucking head off! From here on out there's no letting up, even the dual vocals, both high and low come off as pure CARCASS worship and to these ears, there's nothing wrong with that. "The Matter Of Splatter" reeks of putrefaction (pun intended) and just lays waste to virtually every riff Michael Amott has come up with in CROTCH ENEMA, oops, I meant ARCH ENEMY. "Under The Knife" will leave your balls (if you have any) shriveled up and afraid to drop back down from their hiding place, such is the asskicking taking place here. "Consuming Impulse," obviously taken from the title of the classic PESTILENCE release, follows at a furious pace. "Grotesqueries" starts off similarly to SLAYER's "Mandatory Suicide" and then completely morphs into a slab of death so deadly, Araya and co. should probably invest in a year's supply of Depends. Old farts!
"In the Name Of Gore" features some of my favorite lead playing on the cd. Other highlights include "Death Walks Behind You," which is full of chunky riffs and lead trade-offs, and the almost 7 minutes of "A Song For The Dead," my overall fave for everything that they accomplish within the framework of the song and an ending that leaves me with an uneasy feeling but just sounds so fitting.
To be honest, I never was much of an EXHUMED fan in the past, but Anatomy Is Destiny is exactly that, destiny. What a phenomenal release, the band, producer and label should be proud.
PJ
1. Anatomy Is Destiny
2. Waxwork
3. The Matter Of Splatter
4. Under The Knife
5. Consuming Impulse
6. Grotesqueries
7. In The Name Of Gore
8. Arclight
9. Nativity Obscene- A Nursery Chyme
10. Death Walks Behind You
11. A Song For The Dead
Label: Relapse Records
Release date: 2003
Artist site: http://www.exhumed.us/
GRADE:
10/10
First of all, this CD should be subtitled "What would have come after Necroticism if CARCASS hadn't started sucking." This platter of splatter is absolutely brutal! EXHUMED have really outdone themselves this time around. With a perfect production by Neil "I must be Relapse's house producer now" Kernon, Anatomy Is Destiny slays the competition. Seriously, all goregrind bands will have to kick it up a notch to even come close. The sheer professionalism and musicianship of this release will make many who made fun of the genre stand up and take notice. This from a band who's known for having a bassist that can projectile vomit at will.
One of the first things I noticed was that the cover wasn't your usual hackjob of gore, looking to quickly offend a potential listener. In fact, the cover is rather subdued by their standards and should easily infiltrate the Best Buy store shelves. That being said, once inside, the lyric book is beautifully sick and brutal, with spreads of blood, brains and other bodily matter to entice the eye while reading their disturbing odes to Walker, Steer, Owen and Amott. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey along with said bassist Bud Burke, guitarist/vocalist Mike Beams and drummer Col. Jones (who recently departed to concentrate on his career as a moleculor biologist) have come up with the best release of their careers, perhaps even the best death metal release of 2003.
The title track is a short, eerie intro before blasting off into "Waxwork," a full on exercise in pure, uncompromising death metal. A rollercoaster ride of twisting tempos and blazing guitar riffs, this one is sure to rip your fucking head off! From here on out there's no letting up, even the dual vocals, both high and low come off as pure CARCASS worship and to these ears, there's nothing wrong with that. "The Matter Of Splatter" reeks of putrefaction (pun intended) and just lays waste to virtually every riff Michael Amott has come up with in CROTCH ENEMA, oops, I meant ARCH ENEMY. "Under The Knife" will leave your balls (if you have any) shriveled up and afraid to drop back down from their hiding place, such is the asskicking taking place here. "Consuming Impulse," obviously taken from the title of the classic PESTILENCE release, follows at a furious pace. "Grotesqueries" starts off similarly to SLAYER's "Mandatory Suicide" and then completely morphs into a slab of death so deadly, Araya and co. should probably invest in a year's supply of Depends. Old farts!
"In the Name Of Gore" features some of my favorite lead playing on the cd. Other highlights include "Death Walks Behind You," which is full of chunky riffs and lead trade-offs, and the almost 7 minutes of "A Song For The Dead," my overall fave for everything that they accomplish within the framework of the song and an ending that leaves me with an uneasy feeling but just sounds so fitting.
To be honest, I never was much of an EXHUMED fan in the past, but Anatomy Is Destiny is exactly that, destiny. What a phenomenal release, the band, producer and label should be proud.
PJ
