It’s been awhile since Exhumed released an album and their last release “Garbage Daze Re-Regurgitated” in 2005 didn’t really have any original material, a collection of covers. So, where have they been? Apparently, they were nearly defunct and out of steam. The main man, Matt Harvey, explains the whole decomposition of Exhumed in the album booklet as if apologizing to their fanbase. Thankfully, Exhumed are back and have, fittingly, risen from the grave as carnivorous as ever.

Now, I have heard two (seemingly) negative statements seeking to categorize all gore grind death metal: either they sound like Carcass or Suffocation. This is like saying all wine tastes alike. The mature listener (a.k.a. gore grind death fan) will discern the difference between the bands and will recognize a good vintage. Exhumed offer top notch gore grind, with a particularly pleasing rotting bouquet. Now, I am personally fond of the "Gore Metal" and "Slaughter Cult" vintages, which are positively transcendent to the ears. I was disappointed with later results (but not so much that I wrote them off). I am happy to report that "All Guts" is a glorious return.

Fast, vicious, and with the occasional blast of melodic riffage, Exhumed are the sonic equivalent of a surprise zombie attack on a family fun day picnic. The most notable songs are ‘Death Knell’, which is a truly grinding rampage that offers a cool finish and awesome solo from Wes Caley, ‘I Rot Within’ which showcases both Harvey and Caley’s guitarwork and some awesomely guttural vokills, ‘Necrotized’ which buzzes like a bonesaw ripping through a cadaver’s brainpan, and ‘Funereality’ which is definitely the theme song for the swarms of the undead when you find yourself unfortunately trapped in an abandoned house with too many doors and windows. Exhumed will not expand the genre but they will thoroughly entertain you as the zombies nibble on your toes.