Aside from the unbelievable chasm of time lapsed between Anatomy Is Destiny (2023) and 2011’s All Guts, No Glory, this is the longest we’ve had to wait for a new EXHUMED full-length of original material since its formation. Mind you, the band was far from on hiatus from To The Dead until now, but let’s take a ride down the Red Asphalt, and see if it’s worth the four-year wait.
‘Unsafe At Any Speed’ strips gears on its way to Mach 666, the perfect opening track for an album dealing with the seedy underbelly of America’s dark highways and bloody byways. Leads shred tires as Mike Hamilton’s pistons pump, already threatening to throw a rod through the engine block. Beginning with unexpectedly melodic dual leadwork by the Harvey/Phillips axe-wielders, ‘Red Asphalt’ may not be as frenzied as its predecessor, but the beads of sweat are still pouring down our foreheads, burning 40 weight oil into our eyes as we try to keep it between the ditches.
‘Shock Trauma’ returns to speed demon realms, yet ‘Shovelhead’ swaggers, blues-ravaged, and already a favorite for it. Recalling early SKINLESS, ‘The Iron Graveyard’ rages, clanging ‘n’ banging, with another break of blood-drenched leads from Harvey and Sebastian Phillips. Bass mangler Ross Sewage kicks off another slow and low gear grinder in the form of ‘Crawling From The Wreckage’, and Matt’s voice sounds more fierce, more maniacal than he has in a while.
After the short sharp shock of ‘Symphorophilia’ we succumb to ‘The Fumes’, stinking of the road, crashing in heap of caked road dust, flesh, and fuel. A band like EXHUMED, it’s honestly hard as fuck to find another to compare them to, as they’ve been an influence in their genre since nearly day one. Red Asphalt finds Matt Harvey & co. still running on a full tank of inspiration and dirty, grime-soaked gore.
Review By: Lord Randall
EXHUMED
Red Asphalt
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