EP Review: Worming by Exhumed (Relapse Records)

US based gore/grind metallers Exhumed dropped an unexpected EP called Worming on the 22nd of October via Relapse Records.

Stalwarts of the scene, Exhumed have been plying their trade since the 1990’s albeit with a hiatus between 2001 and 2009. Their much heralded return in 2010 so the band come back with renewed aggression and enthusiasm and in that 10 year reunion period we have had 4 albums and now 3 EPs. Their last full release was 2019’s Horror and their last release was a split with the band Gruesome in 2020 called Twisted Horror.

The band, centred around guitarist and founder Matt Harvey are well respected through years of hard work and crushing metal. Alongside Matt, long term bassist and vocalist Ross Sewage still brings the brutality with Mike Hamilton on drums and Sebastian Phillips on guitars.

The new EP, Worming is typically rough and to the point. With 4 tracks and a 10 minute run time, it blows the cobwebs off in a blast of quality death metal. The title track Worming is a visceral assault of crushing drums, violent vocals and pulverising riffs. Mixes of vocal tones add variety and the riffs hit out plenty of groove too ensuring Exhumed aren’t just heavy for the sake of heavy. Instead they will have you switch between needing to go wild in the pit to longer chunky headbanging sections.

N.M.F.O (Nazi Metallers Fuck Off) is a fist to the face of the rotten extremists polluting our scene. At just 75 seconds long, they drop a bit of the underlying groove and go for the jugular which seems apt for this song. Distorted and Twisted to Form really hits hard with the grind sounds at first in a haze of blistering drum blasts and speed riffing. It switches up with plenty of transitions showing Exhumed as pretty damn progressive for such an extreme genre. Little solos and chunky bass lines bed in with the more extreme side of the music to create an exciting, yet brutal song.

Worming ends with Vacant Grave and its a banger too. The drum pattern in the intro is on fire and the riff is just brilliant and has me instantly moving. Its catchy. Yep, I said it. That isn’t to say this song isn’t vicious, it is. It is dark, distorted at times with terrifying gutturals and brain exploding beats. There is just more to it as it transitions from the raw brutality into more controlled brutality. Clever and frankly, brilliant metal.

Worming is top quality extreme metal. A short but intent statement from Exhumed, a band with untold experience and quality. Its dark, heavy and brilliant showcasing how to be extreme but also how to control it to ensure your songs are not just heavy for the sake of heavy. This is clever stuff mixing extreme aggression with intelligent transitions to keep each song, no matter how short, feeling fresh and exciting throughout. Just what I needed this morning.

Grab a copy of Worming from Exhumed’s Bandcamp, here. It is out now on all the usual streaming services as well.

Exhumed Links

Bandcamp – Facebook – YouTube – Instagram – Twitter – Relapse Records