Exhumed Talk Their Return from the Dead with 'All Guts, No Glory', Gear Up for North American Tour
Published Jul 13, 2011
It's been eight years since Exhumed dropped their last album, the mighty Anatomy Is Destiny. Gore-grind fans the world over have been eagerly awaiting new material from the band, but as Exhumed main man Matt Harvey recently explained to Exclaim!, there's a good reason behind the lengthy between-album wait. "I needed some time away from Exhumed," says Harvey. "I was really burnt out in 2005. I had turned 30 and was a bit frustrated with my life; I wasn't living up to my goals or expectations, musically or otherwise, and I was really tired of the death metal scene. After five-plus years off, I had a much better perspective on the band, and also on life in general, and things with Exhumed became fun again, which really was what it was about in the first place."
Exhumed's new long-player All Guts, No Glory -- released earlier this month on the band's longtime record label Relapse Records -- takes the group's classic gore-grind sound and adds more melody, refines the songwriting and basically takes everything they've done in the past and makes it even better.
"I'm feeling really good about it, to be honest," says Harvey. "I thought when we did it that it was our best album so far, and most people actually seem to agree, which is nice. I feel pretty confident with everything and it's been really exciting to see things get going with the band and record and everything. It's been fun and a little overwhelming. I kind of forgot that when I decided to do this record that Exhumed was about to take over my life again."
And with Exhumed comes ever-present lineup changes. Harvey's always been the man with the plan, and this time around he has some guys behind him that are also keeping busy in other groups. There's already been changes from the album lineup, as Harvey has Mike Hamilton from Deeds of Flesh taking the place of All Guts, No Glory drummer Danny Walker (Intronaut, Murder Construct, ex-Phobia) and Rob Babcock of Gravehill taking over bass duties from Leon del Muerte (Murder Construct, ex-Intronaut, ex-Impaled) for some live gigs. And it sounds as if Harvey is ready for more changes if need be.
"With Exhumed, the idea of having a full-time lineup doesn't really enter into my mind anymore," he says. "It sounds nice, but with adulthood, jobs and other bands and projects, it just doesn't seem to be in the cards, which is okay. I just roll with things and don't put pressure on myself or anyone else or on 'the band' at this point. Leon has a lot of obligations with his work, which is very much a real job, so he's not doing all of the touring with us.
"Things may coalesce into a permanent type of lineup eventually, but right now, things are moving so fast that I don't have time to project that far into the future. Wes [Caley, guitarist] and I are the songwriting core of the band and we both are on the same page as far as continuing things with Exhumed and moving forward, so that's what's important to me at this point."
Despite constant lineup shifts, the gore is going to keep flowing, according to Harvey: he says the band have settled back into full-time status and are likely to keep the new material coming, hopefully fast and furious to make up for so many years of silence.
"We are [a full-time band] at this point," he says. "We have so many shows this year that it's impossible for me to consider holding down a regular job. Wes and I have already been talking about new songs and new releases."
As for those shows, Exhumed have a hefty North American tour lined up, including several Canadian shows. You can see the complete schedule below.
Tour dates:
7/17 San Diego, CA - Ruby Room *
7/18 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse *
7/19 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad *
7/20 Denver, CO - Marquis Theater *
7/21 Merriam, KS - Aftershock ^*
7/22 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews *
7/23 Urbana, IL - The Canopy
7/25 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave *#@
7/26 St. Paul, MN - Station 4 *#@
7/27 Winnipeg, MB - Royal Albert Arms *#@
7/27 Winnipeg, AB - Park Theater *#@
7/28 Regina, SK - The Exchange *#@
7/29 Edmonton, AB - The Pawn Shop *#@
7/30 Calgary, AB - The Distillery *#@
7/31 Lindsay, ON - Knights of Columbus Hall *#@
8/1 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater *#@
8/2 Seattle, WA - Studio Seven *#@
8/3 Portland, OR - Branx (Loveland) *#@
8/4 San Francisco, CA - Slim's *#@
8/5 Sparks, NV - The Alley *#@
8/6 Las Vegas, NV - Cheyanne Saloon *#@
8/7 Hollywood, CA - The Key Club *#@
8/11 Jaromer, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault Festival
8/12 Oulu, Finland - Jalometalli Metal Music Festival
8/13 Schlotheim, Germany - Party San Open Air
8/14 Ieper, Belgium - Ieperfest
* with Cephalic Carnage
^ with Origin
# with Macabre
@ with Withered