Slaughtercult

There’s pretty much no such music more abrasive or extreme than grindcore/goregrind, especially with its ridiculous and over the top lyrical content and artwork. It took me awhile to get into it myself, but ultimately bands like Carcass and Napalm Death helped me appreciate its brilliance, regardless of how twisted and sickening it can get. Exhumed is pure Carcass worship but they do it so well; their self brand of “gore metal” (also the title of their first album) is a dizzying display of energy and overwhelming sonic force. The group’s second album Slaughtercult might just be their best effort to date, for both its pioneering status and consistent quality.

The mix of bassist/guitarist Matt Harvey’s higher register rasps and other guitarist Mike Beams’s ridiculously low guttural growls automatically draw to a Carcass comparison, as Jeff Walker and Bill Steer often did the same thing on the early Carcass records. The sound is so vigorous with the relentless onslaught of grinding guitars and blast beats from drummer Col Jones that it’s actually a bit overwhelming. The album opener Decrepit Crescendo is less than two and a half minutes and hits like an absolute freight train, yet it’s over before you know it started. Most of the tracks are in the 2-3 minute range for maximum impact and are completely void of any pointless meandering or dead weight as Slaughtercult consistently gets straight to the point. This means there is literally no room to catch your breath as a listener, listening to this album is the equivalent of being thrust into an alleyway and getting the beating of a lifetime, only to get dragged back out, bruised and bloodied after about 35 minutes of punishment.

Not to say this album is a pain to listen to; on the contrary this album is an absolute delight. Following the fierce opener is Forged in Fire (Forged in Flame) and A Lesson in Pathology which are among the most memorable of Exhumed’s early material. There’s enough cohesion and patterning in the arrangements to make for some melody which is ultimately what makes music memorable to the human brain. The catchy riffs in Fester Forever provide for another excellent song. Slaughtercult has enough old school death metal inspired riffs that are accessible in comparison to the relentless grind that keep the record both an over the top sonic assault and an enjoyable and memorable experience. And every time an excellent track ends, an equally quality replacement takes its place and bludgeons you in a different part of your eardrums, while maintaining a consistent aesthetic. Songs on the tail end of the album like the title track, Funeral Fuck, and Vacant Grave help Slaughtercult go out with a bang and end as great as it started.

As much as I love the low gutturals from Mike Beams, I have to say that the higher shrieks from Matt Harvey carry the songs really well. His delivery is clean enough to follow along to the vocal melodies, and Beams works really well as a complementary piece, trading off for gutturals that would make even Tomb of the Mutilated era Chris Barnes jealous. Both are just so relentless and sadistic sounding, it’s almost too much to keep up with. When I was younger I used to be amazed at how uncompromisingly heavy bands like Slayer and even Metallica sounded, I never even imagined music this intense existed. The fact that it’s just as enjoyable (albeit in a very different way) makes me understand the wide variety of extreme metal that the world has been exposed to so far, and I’m impressed at the constant pushing of boundaries.

A lot of the impact that Slaughtercult delivers is from the intensity of the record, but I have to still praise Exhumed for their musicianship. Harvey and Beams are a wicked guitar duo; they’re not the most technical but the ability to play at such incredible speeds is impressive enough on its own. They cycle through so many catchy riffs with seemingly an endless amount at their disposal, and also manage to throw some really wild leads in. Not everything has to be overly technical or complex to be impressive, and as a thrash metal fan I’ve always valued speed as well as precision playing. Harvey excels equally with the bass work which just adds another layer to the heaviness of the record, and drummer Col Jones brings it all together with his frantic energy. The drumming could have easily equated to a child button mashing on a video game but Jones holds everything together with tight and precise playing.

The production is pretty amazing too. It’s far from the murky and grimy mix of early grind records from Carcass, Napalm Death, and Repulsion; instead Slaughtercult has a clear and pummeling sound that maximizes the force of the drums and tone of the guitars for next level intensity. So as much as I love my old school grind, I have to admit that Slaughtercult packs an arguably greater punch with an upgraded mix where every little guitar flourish or blast beat can be appreciated.

Carcass is one of my favorite extreme metal bands ever, so naturally Exhumed has earned a lot of affection from me as well. They are clearly inspired by the legendary Englishmen but their sound as a grimy American edge to it, likely an ingredient of the more extreme thrash and Florida death metal scenes. I still consider Slaughtercult a somewhat modern release along with anything else post 1990s, so if I’m to follow that rule then I must say that this release is among the best in modern extreme metal. It’s fast, brutal, and absolutely unrelenting yet still the gold standard for a band that’s been putting out great material throughout the 21st century. It will continue to stand as one of the best grind albums of all time, regardless of era.