J-Man Not unlike their heroes in Carcass, Californian extreme metal act Exhumed has made a number of changes to its blood-soaked style of goregrind over the years. The band's increasing use of groovy death metal riffs and melodic guitar solos has set them on a much more sophisticated musical path since their reformation in 2010, and this new path feels fully realized on 2013's Necrocracy.

The album's combination of catchy death metal riffs and melodic guitar solos immediately brings Heartwork-era Carcass to mind, and although there are subtle differences between the two bands, I have little doubt that fans of nineties' Carcass will love this one. Tracks like “Coins Upon the Eyes” and “(So Passes) The Glory of Death” showcase the band's impressive knack for crafting songs that are both instantly recognizable and relentlessly brutal. The full album maintains this high level of compositional mastery, and its powerful production assures that all of Necrocracy's details are clearly conveyed to its listener.

I suppose that Exhumed's blatant Carcass influence may turn off some people, but if you can look past that, you'll discover one of 2013's best death metal albums. Necrocracy will cause whiplash if you aren't careful!

UMUR "Necrocracy" is the 7th full-length studio album by US death metal act Exhumed. The album was released through Relapse Records in August 2013.

The music on "Necrocracy" pretty much continues the death metal/goregrind style from "All Guts, No Glory (2011)". It´s greatly influenced by late eighties/early nineties Carcass. There are more mid-paced death metal grooves and even more melodic guitar solos than on the predecessor. Otherwise this is Exhumed as we know them and love them. The vocals are both deep growling and higher pitched sneering, which again are a reference to Carcass. The band are pretty well playing even though nothing (other than the skillfully played guitar solos) on the album screams for a more than average technically skilled musician. It´s all about the brutal infectious grooves and blasting brutality although many of the tracks on "Necrocracy" feature almost anthemic sing along choruses. Check out tracks like "Dysmorphic" and "Coins upon the Eyes" for proof of that.

The sound production is pretty strong and powerful although it´s a slight step down from the sound production on "All Guts, No Glory (2011)". That´s probably just a matter of aquired taste though. Featuring 9 tracks and a total playing time of 38:22, "Necrocracy" is a short, "to the point" type of release. It´s not completely devoid of finesse though. As I mentioned above the melodic guitar solos are very skillfully played and it´s nice on the ears to have something a bit more melodic to hold on to amidst the omnipresent raw aggression and brutality. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.