Anatomy Is Destiny / Live In Japan

Drummer Col Jones, one of the band's original members, left Exhumed soon after the release of Anatomy Is Destiny, though his swansong is liable to make many in the death metal community wonder why he left since the band's third disc is easily the band's best. The post-Carcass gore-core is barely recognizable, only heard in vestiges such as during "The Matter of Splatter" and the fittingly named "In the Name of Gore" (not about a former U.S. presidential candidate, or his wife for that matter), in addition to the furious blastbeats from Jones. However, the album seems much more regimented. It is likely that the band's members were listening to old thrash metal, as the tempos are more varied even though the carnage is not. "Under the Knife," for example, has a slower tempo that actually lumbers into a groove, and another more methodical tune, "Grotesqueries," kicks in with a riff that could have been off an early Testament record before blasting forth a searing vibe that could be Metal Blade-era Slayer, only with death metal vocals and much better production. It's no surprise that the promotional photo of the band looks like a shot of vintage Destruction. Despite straying away from the Cannibal Corpse school, Exhumed remains heavy enough to placate fans of the band's previous recordings, yet the added accessibility could open the ears of some who dismiss death metal out of hand. This time, there's some growth beneath the growling. ~ Brian O'Neill, Rovi