#Exhumed

2025-04-28

Caustic Wound – Grinding Mechanism of Torment Review

By Saunders

Back in the strange old days of 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound detonated a skin-blasting deathgrind debut, entitled Death Posture. It landed on my end-of-year list and has remained a staple since. Comprised of like-minded scene veterans, including members of Mortiferum and Magrudergrind, Caustic Wound skillfully weld brutal, old-school death and grindcore influences into a raw, gnarly, riff rumbling beast. Death Posture’s dirty, unrefined production and reeky, terrorizing attack lent it a dangerous, unhinged edge, complimented by its infectious riffcraft and ugly underground values. Fast forward to the present and Caustic Wound reappear hellbent to fuck things up in their wickedly violent, deranged way. The efficient, action-packed platter of splattery goodness gets the job done in under half an hour, rifling through sixteen sharp, savvy and utterly punishing deathgrind bursts. With all the pieces in place, can Caustic Wound back up their impressively savage debut and capitalize on their prior groundwork with a sophomore album to savor?

Grinding Mechanism of Torment picks up where its predecessor left off, albeit offering a freshly inspired take on the bare-bones aesthetics and raw buzz of the debut. First and foremost, this shit maintains the band’s brutally raging, guttural thrust and blast riddled form of deathgrind mayhem, featuring the thrashy, artery slashing hooks and gore spattered flair to do Exhumed and Impaled proud, Caustic Wound have sharpened their weapons of butchery and refined their sound, without compromising the blasty, grind-fueled punch and exhilarating blast of the debut. This is partly attributed to a cleaner, more refined, though still appropriately thick, beefy production job that stays true to their brutal underground roots. The tidier sonic aspects fail to diminish the savage old school charms and full throttle grind attacks that litter the album (“Advanced Killing Methods,” “Human Shield,” “Endless Grave,” “Dead Dog”).

Without discarding those classic death and grind influences of yesteryear, the influences reach a little broader, encompassing the occasional d-beaten Swedeath smackdown, hardcore stomp, and nods to the early days of legends such as Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse and Terrorizer. Equipped with a bevy of killer riffs, the songs penetrate the memory bank. The buzzsawing, uppercutting riffs are uniformly strong, regardless of speed, but especially when Caustic Wound occasionally lay off the relentless pace and unleash the Leng Tch’e-esque groove and grind sections (check the sludgy, groovy crush of “Drone Terror” or insanely hooky riffs of “Blood Battery” as primo examples). Elsewhere, wild solos punctuate the chaos (“Infinite Chaos,” “Blackout”) and Clyde Lindstrom’s (Corpus Offal, Fetid) meaty, phlegmy vocal eruptions enlivens and adds a feral, guttural punch to proceedings, lending character and deceptive variety, not content to fall into being an unremarkable rhythmic afterthought. Not content to play it safe, closer “Into Cold Deaf Universe” dabbles in slow building, sludgy discordance, and samples before eventually mutating into a deadly deathgrind epic, unloading across nearly seven minutes of blasting and caterwauling noise, capping the album in momentously chaotic, violent fashion.

Despite the cleaner sonic palette, Grinding Mechanism of Torment packs a hefty wallop in the heaviness and brutality stakes, and is anything but a run-of-the-mill example of old school deathgrind. Chase Slaker and Max Bowman wield their axes with feral abandon amid lightning bursts of speed, vice-tight interlocking riffs, and divebombing solos. The riffs are a constant highlight and the deeper emphasis on thick, headbanging grooves unlocks some seriously chunky, infectious moments, such as the vicious outro of the grindy “Sniper Nest,” and swaggering grooves of “Horrible Earth Death.” Amidst the speedy focal point and blast riddled displays, the rhythm section of bassist Tony Wolfe and drummer Casey Moore do a bang-up job of driving this deathgrind killing machine and locking down the mean, violent grooves punctuating the album.

Death Posture established Caustic Wound as a deathgrind powerhouse to be reckoned with, embracing classic death and grind values, executed with fresh and frenzied flair. Some of those endearing, caveman charms of the debut cannot be recreated in the more refined format. As such Grinding Mechanism of Torment may lose some of the wild, unhinged edges of the debut. However, the album compensates through its addictive riffcraft and diverse, though still plenty brutal display of deathgrind lunacy, expanding their songwriting scope and marking a grisly, bone-crunching, and righteously infectious return.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #CausticWound #CorpusOffal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fetid #Grindcore #GrindingMechanismOfTorment #Impaled #LengTchE #Magrudergrind #Mortiferum #NapalmDeath #ProfoundLore #Review #Reviews #Terrorizer

Lionel Transat record shoploutransat
2025-04-09

Mercredi jour des enfants fouisseurs, Exhumed / Death Revenge.

#TheMetalDogArticleList #BraveWords Today In Metal History đŸ€˜ August 2nd, 2024đŸ€˜ JOE LYNN TURNER, NEAL MORSE, BOSTON, CINDERELLA, POISON, EXHUMED bravewords.com/news/today-i... #JoeLynnTurner #NealMorse #Boston #Cinderella #Poison #Exhumed #NicolaJamesCapaldi #JimCapaldi #Traffic #Rainbow #DeepPurple

2024-07-31

Blacklist – With Murderous Intent Review

By Kenstrosity

Movement in music is key, as it is in so many other areas in life. Regular readers see countless articles published here that malign records hung up on a single tempo, one stagnant theme, or an unchanging mode of propulsion. That’s no accident. Regardless of style or content, music that doesn’t move—whether that movement refers to tangible momentum or intangible emotional connection—doesn’t land. UK thrash metal quartet Blacklist understand this principle and showcase their mastery of it on sophomore outing With Murderous Intent.

Blacklist may be newer to the scene, having established themselves a mere six years ago, but they harken back to the sounds of thrashteryear. That means references to legends like Exodus, Zoetrope, and Dark Angel abound on With Murderous Intent. However, Blacklist aren’t your stock standard, rehashed thrash worship. Modern death metal and melodic black metal threads weave deftly throughout this latest outing, in much the same manner as heard from Crypta. Informing the thematic content of the record, classic campy horror a la Exhumed takes center stage, injecting oodles of stupid fun into this deadly platter of hooky riffs and exuberant rhythms.

As implied in my introduction, Blacklist’s greatest strength on With Murderous Intent is their mastery of momentum and movement. Dynamic songwriting stuffed to the tonsils with killer riffs, righteous guitar wizardry, thunderous beats, and a delightful blackened-rasp-boozy-bark vocal combo relentlessly hacks and slashes through fifty minutes of thrash metal muderdeathkillery. Opening duo “Cannibal” and “Blood Baptism” set the stage with rapid-fire D-beats, pummeling double-bass runs, ripping solos, and shredding riffs. Meanwhile, gang shouts of “HUMAN CONSUMPTION” in the former and “BLOOD BAPTISM” in the latter remind us all of the lost joys of cannibalism and ritual sacrifices, respectively. In order to disabuse me of the impression that With Murderous Intent only has one speed, mid-paced romps “The Shape” and “Kill the Coroner” stomp skulls while telling tall tales of horrific monsters and mad scientists hell-bent on my ultimate demise. Thrilling stuff. Detouring slightly from ravenous thrashing, a heavier death metal influence finds purchase on bangers like the subtly neoclassical “Blood Baptism” and the rabid “The Dismemberment Blade.” Wielding the scythe of death with scalpel-like precision, these tracks bring a vital spice to the record, while more melodic proclivities and constantly evolving songwriting bolster the record’s storytelling in longer numbers like “The Shape” and album highlights “Naturom Demonto” and “With Murderous Intent.” In short, almost every fascia connected to With Murderous Intent’s ten hash-slinging slashers serves to elevate Blacklist’s music, and leaves no room for boredom to brew.

Impressive though With Murderous Intent undoubtedly is, there is a lot of material to unpack. Three songs clock in above six minutes (one of those right on the cusp of eight), and most others settle between four and six minutes. All of a sudden nearly an hour transpires in a single run. Thanks to Blacklist’s excellent pacing and track arrangement, this record’s runtime feels closer to forty minutes than the actual fifty. However, I often feel just a touch winded by the time the admittedly awesome title track closer wraps up. Unfortunately for me, that negatively impacts the record’s immediate replay value. Compounding this drawback, “Lethal Infection” and “Never Sleep Again” fall short of the high mark established by the overwhelming majority of With Murderous Intent’s material. Solid tracks on their own, passionately performed and enjoyable in the moment, they are regrettably less compelling and less memorable than all of their album mates—especially so positioned back-to-back between two of the album’s best.

There is a lot to love in With Murderous Intent. Blacklist’s particular application of a tried and true thrash blueprint, tempered with death metal and black metal touches and given definition by their 80s horror theme, makes for a wildly entertaining and deeply enjoyable experience. It may not be the easiest to get through if you are pressed for time, and a couple of its selections don’t live up to the standard of Blacklist’s elite. Fortunately, those are but minor faults. The truth is, I haven’t had this much fun with modern thrash in quite some time. You deserve to have some fun, too. Get Blacklisted today!

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: facebook.com/BlacklistMetal | blacklistthrashmetal.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 2nd, 2024

#2024 #35 #Au24 #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #Blacklist #Crypta #DarkAngel #DeathMetal #DeathThrash #Exhumed #Exodus #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #ThrashMetal #UKMetal #WithMurderousIntent #Zoetrope

2024-04-01

Mutilation Barbecue – Amalgamations of Gore Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

After the slamaissance of 2023 which brought us genre-blended success from Afterbirth and Wormhole,1 the prospect of slam bringing the same kind of heat in 2024 felt hopeful, but as an enjoyer of the hammer-dropping arts, I remain ever so. You see, sometimes a name and cover say it all, and in a genre like slam, those kinds of gaudy statements may be the most worthwhile attributes of the sonic whole. So when I saw festering in our full and plump sump the name Mutilation Barbecue2 and the fanciful display of human consumption that adorns their debut full-length Amalgamations of Gore, I slapped my name on it with equal parts wonder and fear. With just only two brief EPs to their name, these Ohio death boys hadn’t yet had the chance to stand out amongst the Maggot Stomp roster of similarly visualized and slamming acts, but with grilling officially in season, can Mutilation Barbecue wear the tag of pit kings proudly?

Turns out, while Amalgamations of Gore definitely has slams (“Auto Anthropophagy,” “Trampled Under 18 Wheels”) and dumb slamples (1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers on “Xenomorphic Organ Rearrangement,” among others), most of this just over Reign in Blood-length smattering avoids falling too heavily into the most soul-sucking tropes of throw-away chugdown acts. Much of that eschewing of predictable tropes rests on the truth that Amalgamations is simply not a slam album, at least not first. Instead, Mutilation Barbecue plays a hardcore flavored, multi-influence brand of modern, 90s-toned death metal. In their frenetic riff tumbles and somewhat heroic leadwork, this young act comes off more like the persistent cut of an early Exhumed than other contemporary goremeisters like 200 Stab Wounds or Fulci. That difference goes a long way.

Despite nothing truly unpredictable happening throughout the whammy-addled and throaty run that Amalgamations spurts, its particular blend of sounds never feels tired. Well, it almost does with the built-for-stage slow build of the “Amalgamations of Gore/Skin Display,” but once that breaks away into its vocal-driven movement, Mutilation Barbecue can’t help but show a grooving swagger amongst its shredded barks and brain-rattling snare clang. And later, seeing this same kind of groove work amongst sneaky lead breaks, pinch harmonic flair, and foot-shuffling hardcore patterns, songs like “Abortion Ambulance” and “Trampled Under 18 Wheels” possess the manic energy of Acid Bath ripping through brutal death motions. I wouldn’t suggest that these spry buckeyes take little influence from death metal—a number of riffs ring tried and true to the tattered tremolo and trudge of bands like Skinless and others of that ilk—but there’s just a little extra under the hood.

Though, where enjoyment of Amalgamations can fly a bit off the rails is in its less-than-stellar production. I don’t expect death metal in this vein to be wildly dynamic, and at its lower DR value, the mix still has good placement of sounds and the kick has less clack than punch. Seasoned engineer of scuzzy acts Will Killingsworth provides a crusted warmth to this lively collection. However, volume-boosted leads and pinches collide against bright and sibilant crashes can cause momentary crackles that push beyond the acceptably crunchy live-action sound that Mutilation Barbecue chases. Were Amalgamations any longer or with more temporary breaks in tempo like “Carcass Compost,” these searing sounds could present a major issue.

As it stands, Mutilation Barbecue has left a greater mark on my memory than I would have assumed at a passing glance. Amalgamations of Gore does just about everything right that a scrappy death metal act could do in this saturated market. Alongside neighbors-in-state Abraded, Mutilation Barbecue fills a gap in pit-fiending Cleveland metro—the Midwest deserves to mosh too! Time will tell whether this troupe evolves in a matter that reflects their wild spirit rather than traveling down the underwhelming path of associates-in-grime 200 Stab Wounds or Sanguisugabogg.3 For now, keep an eye out for a show near you—these riffs have kick.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Maggot Stomp | Bandcamp4
Websites: mutilationbarbecue.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mutilationbarbecue
Releases Worldwide: March 29th, 2024

#200StabWounds #2024 #30 #Abraded #AcidBath #AmalgamationsOfGore #AmericanMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fulci #MaggotStomp #Mar24 #MutilationBarbecue #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg #Skinless #Slam

Micha Thieme đŸŽ—ïžmurmler@hessen.social
2024-03-25

10-YEAR-THROWBACK: Heute vor 10 Jahren - eine der skurrilsten Konzertszenen ever: "NotÀrztliche" Druckbetankung des Gitarristen Bud Burke durch eine Bierbong mit TotenschÀdel beim Auftritt der US-Death Metal-Band #EXHUMED im Schlachthof in Wiesbaden. bit.ly/3x3oce0

rockstage-riot-rheinmain.de/to

Micha Thieme đŸŽ—ïžmurmler@hessen.social
2024-03-25

10-YEAR-THROWBACK: Heute vor 10 Jahren - die US-Thrasher TOXIC HOLOCAUST um Mastermind Joel Grind mit Vorprogramm von #EXHUMED und #WOUND in der RĂ€ucherkammer des Schlachthofs in Wiesbaden. So berichteten wir damals: bit.ly/3x3oce0 #toxicholocaust #thrashmetal

rockstage-riot-rheinmain.de/to

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