Exhumed Interview
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- Category: Archive Interviews
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- Written by Shannon
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MSM: Since OSDM is coming back to feel this is the right time to bring back Exhumed? Matt: There were a lot of factors that went into the decision, but the short answer is that the timing was finally right. In ‘05, I was really frustrated because the line-up at the time wasn’t gelling the way I wanted it to, and I was really burnt out on the whole Death Metal scene. I ultimately just wanted to play other kinds of metal, which is how Scarecrow got started. After doing that for a while, I really wanted to make a bigger overall lifestyle type of change, so I moved out to Hawaii for about a year and a half, which was a good way to sort of recharge my batteries, creatively. I knew that I wasn’t going to be out there for too long, and when I started seriously planning to return to California, I started talking more and more with old friends, and a lot of my old friends are old band-mates. So Wes (Caley, guitar) and I were talking about getting together and jamming, since I know live about half as far from Southern California as I used to (basically halfway between LA and San Francisco) as I used to. From there, Wes jokingly said that we should do a new Exhumed record, and I had been writing some heavier stuff even before our conversation, so I told him that if Danny (Walker, drums) and Leon (DelMuerte, bass / vocals) were into the idea, I was up for it. About 15 minutes and several text messages later, we had a line-up. I think right now, the Death Metal scene is a bit friendlier to a band like us, with bands like Fatalist, Gravehill, Cardiac Arrest, Funebrarum, Hooded Menace, Nominon and others starting to (finally) get some attention. We aren’t a retro band or anything, but like I told Terrorizer Magazine, we have a lot more in common with Autopsy that we do with Annotations Of An Autopsy. I think a lot of people are tired of a lot of the humorless, soulless, overly processed, tech-obsessed Death Metal at last, which is nice, but at the same time there are younger bands like Whitechapel, Black Dahlia Murder or Job For A Cowboy that are slowly but surely bringing new kids into the genre, even though those bands aren’t “true” Death Metal, they’re on the edges musically, and are influenced by Death Metal, so it all kind of works together to drive things in a positive way. Whenever there’s an influx of newer bands / ideas (even if the “new” idea is bringing back an old style) the genre is going to grow and be more vital - and for what seems like forever, Death Metal had only been growing in one direction - and it was a direction that had nothing to do with Exhumed. We’ve never had any interest in becoming the most technically proficient band in the world, or creating some weird new technique of playing a blast beat that sucks out all the groove and humanity while upping the BPM count. I think that it’s a nice dovetailing with OSDM making a comeback and us doing a new album, but there’s not too much of a cause / effect relationship there. MSM: Tell us about the new lineup with Exhumed. Matt: Again, there are a lot of factors that go into that… Col (Jones, drums) has just gotten married and bought a condo, and he’s already playing in Repulsion and a new OSDM band called Mortuous (who are awesome, by the way), and he and I are slowly but surely getting ready for a new Dekapitator album, so his plate is pretty full. Mike (Beams, guitar, vocals) is in a similar situation, engaged, and already playing in Mortuous and Repulsion. Bud (Burke, bass, vocals) actually lives in North Carolina and is concentrating on Southern Rock and Country right now. Of the three of them, the one with the most time to dedicate to this would’ve been Bud, but he’s 3,000 miles away. Really, I just didn’t want this to be a nostalgia thing where the same four guys come out and trot out the same songs we played ten years ago. That’s not my idea of fun. I was playing with Wes and writing a new album with him five years ago, and it seemed logical to pick things up where we left off, rather than try to replicate something that had stopped existing a long time ago. People forget that Col didn’t do any of the touring for “Anatomy…”, Danny Walker did 80% of it, and John Longstreth did the other 20% due to Danny’s schedule. Leon did 100% of it on bass and vocals, and Mike was on his way to burnout on the whole thing for a long time before he finally left. After “Anatomy…” when were in Europe with Cephalic Carnage and Inhume with Leon and Danny, I realized that we had a GREAT lineup with a future, but Danny and Leon didn’t have the time to commit to the band at that point. That was a big stumbling block at the time, we ended up playing with John, and then another drummer, Matt Connell, who was a good drummer and a cool guy but it just didn’t really come together with him for whatever reason. It’s sort of one of those unquantifiable things, the vibe just wasn’t there. Wes had joined on guitar and he and I worked together really well, but the rest of things just weren’t really happening. I felt like, doing this again, having a line-up with a future was more important to me than having one with a past. That said, when we do play live, we will play loads of old stuff, because it’s only fair to the kids. Especially the first batch of shows will lean really heavily on the first three albums. MSM: Any plans on releasing a new album? Matt: We’re booking studio time in Los Angeles and Phoenix to record everything at the end of October and November, for a release next April, just before MDF. Wes and I have been writing pretty much since the beginning of the year, and we have more than enough songs. For the first time, we’re going to be able to go into the studio and record enough stuff to go through and cherry-pick the best songs for the album. It’s a luxury we’ve never had before. We’ll also be recording for 13 full days, which is longer by 3 or 4 days than we had for “Anatomy…” or any of our other albums for that matter. MSM: Can we expect a US tour with Exhumed? Matt: I’m not sure how that will play out. Right now, we’re focusing on Maryland and summer festivals in Europe. If the right offer comes through that makes sense next fall, we’ll be on the road. And in lieu of a full US tour, we will probably at least be doing some short-run regional stuff to promote the album and say hello to old (and new) friends. MSM: Are you still frustrated with the music industry? Matt: There are certain aspects of it that will always be maddening, but I love Relapse and I have had a great relationship with them for the past 12 years. The stuff that gets me frustrated is just the mundane, day-to-day logistics and “hurry up and wait” that come with being in a band. Right now, I feel pretty optimistic about things and I think I have a much better perspective than I did five years ago on the band and where we fit in this whole thing. MSM: In a perfect world what would you want for Exhumed? Matt: Hmmm… Just to make enough money to live comfortably and play new and interesting places, maybe some more female fans, lots of free beer, and just to make good records. The last one really is the only thing I have direct control over, so I’ll concentrate on that first. I definitely would love to play some of the places that we haven’t been able to go to in the past for one reason or the other like Russia, South America, Korea, New Zealand, etc. etc. MSM: Thanks again for the interview, anything else you would like to add or say to your fans? Matt: Thanks for the platform, man! Thanks to all the Necromaniacs out there who haven’t forgotten about Exhumed, it means a lot - we haven’t forgotten about you either! We’re can’t wait to grind with you all next year, so save your strength for the day we come to your city! www.myspace.com/exhumed www.gorefuckingmetal.blogspot.com 