Exhumation – Hymn To Your God

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http://youtu.be/gcCJNbVhDY8

Review by Paul Castles

Dunkelheit

Release Date: 11 February 2014 (reissue)

Exhumation are doing their bit to put Indonesia firmly on the death metal map. Hymn To Your God was a self-release debut a couple of years ago but has subsequently been picked up and given a professional re-release by respected German label Dunkelheit. With seven tracks coming in at just under half-an-hour, Exhumation adopt a bare knuckle stance right from the first bell. Performing a traditional old school death metal, fans of Vader and Morbid Angel should form an orderly queue here.

Opening track ‘All Seeing Eye’ goes for the scattergun approach, mercilessly flooring anything in its path with a combination of frenzied rat-a-tat drumming, wild flaming riffs and a deep throaty vocal croak. The pattern is repeated on ‘The Apotheosis’ with the Asian aggressors pouring more fuel on the furnace. Some serious shredding takes place on tracks such as ‘Parasites and Enemies’ and ‘Omnipotent,’ the latter kick-started by a raspy roar from frontman Punto that a grizzly bear would be proud of.

Exhumation aren’t the first death metal group I’ve come across from this part of the world. But while their enthusiasm and belief cannot be questioned they are probably a notch or two below some of the more established death metal acts. The sound can at times lack the real depth and cranium popping blasts that we expect with this kind of metal.

The album’s title track is a two-minute instrumental with a few wispy female vocals in the distance while the final number is a cover of Blasphemy’s ‘Ritual’. Perhaps tellingly the structures surrounding their cover of the Canadian cult crew’s song is the pick of the album, carrying greater force and venom than Exhumation’s own songs. And while it’s not a bad cover job we’re effectively left with just the five tracks from Exhumation – not quite enough for a death metal album.

Exhumation – Hymn To Your God6 out of 10

Track Listing:

  1. All Seeing Eye
  2. The Apotheosis
  3. Parasites and Enemies
  4. Omnipotent
  5. Dominion
  6. Hymn to your God
  7. Ritual (Blasphemy cover)