Exhumed – Death Revenge

Death Revenge is loud, fast, and full of anger — Just as it should be

The latest release from Exhumed, Death Revenge is a journey through gore, violence, and the general darkness of human nature that hides just below the surface. There are some things that could have been done better for the sake of the listeners, but by no means does it made the album bad.

The album begins with an instrumental track, “Death Revenge Overture” which sounds oddly similar to the intro of Dethklok’s “Detharmonic” from their first album. The use of instrumentals throughout Death Revenge is pretty significant but does not set a mood or atmosphere that enriches the album, it’s more like dead space that is keeping the listener from hearing the gold that is the rest of the release. The wait isn’t long though, and the second track “Defenders of the Grave” is loud, fast, and full of anger. Just as it should be. The opening riff is simply mind-blowing, and the transition into the verse is an abrupt and violent action befitting the gore-metal goliaths.

The transition into the third track, “Lifeless” is no less spectacular and sets the bar yet another notch higher for the crown jewel of the album “Dead End” that follows. The track has the total package: a slow, melodic intro that catches the listener’s attention, a gradual increase in tempo to add suspense, then suddenly everything cuts out but the guitar and pure mayhem ensues. Bud Burke and Matt Harvey completely overwhelm the senses during the verse section with the guitar work and vocals, respectively while Mike Hamilton fills in any would-be lapses with masterfully timed drum fills.

The album closes with an excellent rendition of Exodus’ “A Lesson in Violence” that is done in a way that is true to the original artist as well as Exhumed. The down tuned guitars, growling vocals, and hyper speed blast beats add a whole new dimension to what was already regarded as a classic among metal fans. As a whole the album is spectacular, but could have been made better by either cutting out the instrumental sections or by tailoring them to fit the songs they were setting the mood for as a short introduction instead.