Exhumed

If you have a weak stomach, get yourself past the (fake) raw entrails and meat on the front cover of this record and you will find yourself quite a surprise. California's Exhumed are one of the best gore/grind/death metal bands around and Slaughtercult, their second release for Relapse, is another keeper. Most reminiscent of early Carcass, mixed with old Slayer/Possessed-style guitar leads, the band rips through 13 new tracks that bite as hard in musical punch as they do in lyrical wit. If you think this stuff is to be taken seriously, you really need to loosen up, mate, and this record might be the thing to do it. With titles such as "This Axe Was Made To Grind" and "Dinner In The Morgue," it is obvious these guys are not the sick fucks they might want you to think they are. Then again, maybe they are.