Exhumed – Red Asphalt (Review)

Gore and Death Metal maniacs Exhumed are back behind the wheel. This time they’re flooring it straight down a blood-soaked highway. Red Asphalt is out February 20 via Relapse Records. After more than 20 years of gore-soaked carnage, you’d think Exhumed might run out of ideas. Wrong. This time, the horror unfolds on the road. Think gore-filled car crashes, zombie biker gangs and twisted highway carnage. Buckle up.

Led by mastermind Matt Harvey, the band packs ten tracks into their Death Metal truck and tears down Route 666 with zero regard for safety regulations. Opener “Unsafe At Any Speed” immediately sets the tone. It checks every box for the classic Exhumed sound. It’s vile, contains gruesome vocals, a punk-fueled attitude and riffs that stick in your head like shrapnel. If you’ve enjoyed their last few releases, the production here will feel just right. Red Asphalt feels sharp, powerful and filthy without losing clarity.

The title track comes in with a ridiculously catchy opening riff that manages to be melodic and crushing at the same time. Matt Harvey’s guitar work inevitably brings a bit of that Chuck Schuldiner spirit into the mix. Not in a copycat way, but as a respectful nod that longtime death metal fans will immediately recognize. A lot of the leads and solos also recall the more melodic era of Carcass, especially on tracks like “The Iron Graveyard“, where the drumming and guitar interplay create that perfect blend of brutality and surgical precision. Exhumed have always been masters at translating their concept directly into sound, and here the entire album feels like a cinematic pile-up.

“Shock Trauma” is a pure ripper that captures the violent chaos of a catastrophic crash. Getting flipped in a car has probably never sounded this brutal (in the best possible way). “Shovelhead” slows things down. Just enough to give you a groovy, head-nodding crusher that fits perfectly between the high-speed assaults filled with blast beats and burning gasoline.

One standout is “Signal Thirty“, which might be the album’s defining moment. It perfectly captures the spirit of Exhumed. It sounds punky, aggressive, hook-driven and absolutely ruthless. It feels like everything the band does best condensed into one track.

Honestly, I don’t think a seatbelt or airbag could save you from the beautiful wreck Exhumed have delivered here. Red Asphalt proves that this is far more than just another death metal album with a gimmick. It’s a fully realized concept executed with skill, humor and a ton of guts.

The road is definitely not safe when Exhumed hit the red asphalt. Time to fire up the gore-soaked engines and blast this absolute banger at full volume.