Album Review: Exhumed - 'All Guts, No Glory'

There are certain things you can pretend to be. Things you can masquerade as, in attempt to deceive. But equally, there are some things that you just can't pull the wool over peoples eyes if you're not unconditionally sincere. The sound and style of Bay Area crushers Exhumed is certainly one that fits comfortably with the latter. There's no pretending here. Let alone, anything false.

'All Guts, No Glory' is as malevolent, menacing and purposeful as they come. Heck, just look at the album cover. There's no in-between. No vague middle-ground. This highly awaited metal album is definitive. It just punches you in the face, picks you up and then repeats the dosage.

From the assertive and beastly openings 'As Hammer to Anvil' and 'Your Funeral, My Feast', studio album number six is not your friendly, timid release. In a manner similar to musical peers Aborted and Carcass, this eleven track offering has a particular 'goregrind' element to it. It's just what all heavy (and by 'heavy', I mean 'heavy'!) releases should be. The music is loud but controlled and the impact is devastating.

Song titles such as 'I Rot Within' and 'Funereality' reinforce the essence of this release. There is a real traditional feel present throughout, with the band sticking true to their Northern Californian influences and musical hunting ground. Most songs are short and don't keep the clock ticking over. It's essentially an approach that cares only for the necessary musical items. 

In a manner fitting of the album itself, the full-length finishes in the same way it started. With a tempo suitable of the genre and a resonance perfect for the band's chosen angle. If this quality is what the band is able to produce after a lengthy spell then fans should have no problem with subsequent long waits in material.

This is certainly not an album to be played in any conservative circles. Even by metal standards this is quite vicious. The Bay Area's proven track record continues. 'All Guts, No Glory' is heavy and unwavering. Essentially, two adjectives that should always come attached to a sound like this. Recommended.

1. All Guts, No Glory

2. As Hammer to Anvil

3. Your Funeral, My Feast

4. Through Cadaver Eyes

5. Death Knell

6. Distorted and Twisted to Form

7. I Rot Within

8. Dis-assembly Line

9. Necrotized

10. Funereality

11. So Let it Be Rotten…So Let it Be Done