Exhumed "Death Revenge" Picture Disc LP ltd to 100 (Carcass, Impaled, Ghoul)

$

60

Exhumed "Death Revenge" Picture Disc LP
Limited to only 100 copies! Never played vinyl.
Exhumed have consistently delivered the goods for years, and sound like they're having a whole lot of fun doing so. As a result, I just don't see myself growing the least bit bored listening to it. This is not a band which has ever let me down, and there isn't one album among their discography that I'd put on and not enjoy to some extent. Having said that, Death Revenge is the most entertainment I've had since Anatomy is Destiny in 2003, and it wisely carries forward a lot of the little permutations they first made on that album to glorious results.
Death Revenge serves as a sort of retrospective of all their output, perhaps never going quite as visceral or heavy as Gore Metal or Slaughtercult, but certainly putting the pedal to the deathgrind and keeping pace with some of their faster canon when it needs to. Much of the writing here is of a mid paced, clinical death/thrashing variety, consistent with Necrocacy and All Guts, No Glory before it, very heavily focused on memorable riff patterns and then splattering them with all manner of wailing, amusing heavy metal leads. Exhumed started to take on a more melodic quality on that third album which they've maintained, and it simply adds so much more variety than had they just kept channeling Symphonies of Sickness or Necroticism. They never quite go full on heavy metal or rock and roll like their inspirations did as the 90s wore on, but keep the progressions punchy and intricate, with lots of flash and flair, as in cuts like "Defenders of the Grave" and "Dead End", busy and kinetic, and not afraid to splay you out with the meatsaw blasting when it fits.
The mix is clean and balanced, it delivers clarity between the rhythms, leads, percussion, snarls and gutturals, even the bass as it pops and plunks and thunders along, often using a lot of simpler, sustained notes under the kinetic guitars to give the sound a nice roundedness. The leads here are every bit as precise and competent as on a Surgical Steel or At the Gates' At War With Reality; a component of the band that has become so important in that it precludes them just endlessly aping their first two albums, which were much more unhinged in that department. The blasting is furious enough to balance off against the headbanging mid-speeds and breakdowns. What's more, there are lots of subtle little nods here to thrash and death metal icons of past and present, specifically a few evil Slayer-like progressions or moments where you feel like you've been submerged in some long lost Death track from the late 80s. Lots of details for the avid listener.
Furthermore, this is just aesthetically satisfying, with an orchestrated, cinematic piano/synth/string intro well worthy of horror classics in the 70s and 80s, reaching a huge crescendo before the band kicks up the grave dirt and twists your head off in its zombified arms. The artwork choice is really awesome, a folded up poster look from some cult US or Italian cinema which is more than likely gonna involve mobile corpses or some psycho you're not going to want (or get) a second date with. The lyrics are genuinely excellent, with a lot of effort put into them and a lot more elaborate prose than your typical gore mavens, a really cool grave robbing theme and narrative set in early 19th century Scotland! All the pieces are in place here for an extremely competent, seasoned record that seems rather timeless in its appeal.
Just a great album for applying your Halloween prosthetics, or kicking back some drinks while you wait for your buds to show up for a slasher marathon. Easily recommended to fans of Impaled, early 90s Carcass, Ghoul, Ex Dementia or the last three records by this very band, Death Revenge proves yet again that Exhumed is one of our very best, dependable American death metal acts, where so many of its peers and precursors flicker, falter and occasionally fuck right off.
Highly recommended!
Absolutely stunning picture disc. Only 100 copies were pressed! Original copies came with the album on cassette tape housed in a specially designed, old school VHS style slipcase and a faux movie ticket. This copy does not come with the cassette or the movie ticket. Only the picture disc is for sale.
Very rare! Don't miss your chance!
All offers considered.

Tracklist:
Side: Death 1. Introduction: Death Revenge Overture (instrumental) 2. Defenders of the Grave 3. Lifeless 4. Dead End 5. Night Work 6. Unspeakable
Side: Revenge 7. Interlude: Grave-Makers of Edinburgh (instrumental) 8. The Harrowing 9. A Funeral Party 10. The Anatomy Act of 1832 11. Incarnadined Hands 12. Death Revenge