Gruesome, consisting of Exhumed guitarist and vocalist Matt Harvey, ex-Malevolent Creation drummer Gus Rios, Possessed guitarist Daniel Gonzalez and Derkéta bassist Robin Mazen, is sure to please any old school death metal fan… or old school Death fan, for that matter. In fact, the idea for the project started when two of the guys were involved in the Death reunion shows. According to the press reelase:
A respectful celebration of the sound of the early Death records, the collective was borne out of guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey (Exhumed) and drummer Gus Rios' (Malevolent Creation) mutual involvement with the Death To All tours — Harvey serving as frontman for the original nine-member mini-tour and Rios performing "Baptized In Blood" and working with DTA drummer Sean Reinert on the following US tour where Exhumed filled in as support on a several dates. The pair stayed in touch and discussed their mutual love (obsession?) for the early half of Death's catalog. After deliberating and ultimately discarding the idea of putting together another incarnation of DTA to focus exclusively on the first two albums, Harvey half-jokingly suggested writing their own songs in that vein. It wasn't long before the idea gained traction, and the "band" had five songs written. With Harvey composing in California, Rios recruited Possessed guitarist Daniel Gonzalez and Derketa bassist Robin Mazen to record the material in Florida, while Harvey tracked his vocals on the West Coast. The result is eight-track debut, Savage Land, a truly gruesome slab of late-'80s/early-'90s Florida-styled death metal.
The group will be releasing Savage Land on Apr. 21 via Relapse Records and I'm not sure I personally have been so excited for a death metal throwback group in a long time.
This isn't your crusty, nasty, run-of-the-mill retro death metal. Hell no. This the advanced, dripping-rot-from-the-corners-of-a-coffin, putrid, vile death metal throwback that you've been waiting for. Observe.
Simple, thrashy and fast! Just the way 1980's Death was and how Gruesome will be.
