Paramaecium

Item: Exhumed of the Earth
Author: Doug Van Pelt

Exhumed of the Earth

(1993)

Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL

Label independentHeaven's Metal #43September/October 1993

death metal doom metal progressive metal symphonic metal

Here's an excellent thrash art project by some Aussies with talent and creative songwriting skill. Taking a nod of inspiration from Believer's operatic "Dies Irae," this 7-song disc (clocking in over 66 minutes!) takes long and bold swipes at both frothing mosh material and high-brow's hottest opera singing. It's called "Exhumed of the Earth." Cut #1, "The Unnatural Conception in Two Parts: The Birth and The Massacre of the Innocent," travels a long way (a 17-minute song!), keeping a death-y vocal identity and the Kansas-goes-thrash violin sound throughout, which really kills! If you're needing a solid dose of heavy metal music, look no further! I never would've guessed that the band Jayson Sherlocke would've joined after Mortification would be so ready to take on the world; but Paramaecium is here--and they kill. This well thought out album basically takes a story-telling approach to the Bible, starting at the conception of Christ, moving to His suffering and execution to His resurrection, to the martyrdom of the disciples to the life in Christ for a believer to his or her resurrection with Christ on the last Day. While not written in King James English, there are Scripture references for almost every other line in each song, so the story can be followed and expounded upon. What's great about this album is its musical diversity. It can explode with the intensity of Deicide, and then slow down and doom it out with the slowest and heaviest of them--and, of course, there's violins, opera singers and flutes thrown in to spice it up. The sonics throughout are pretty clean. The guitar tone is perfect for what the band sounds like--lots of sustained distortion and width in the rhythms and an Egyptian/Maiden-esque flavor during the occasional lead. The vocals of bassist Andrew Tompkins are of the deathly "a man with no tongue coughing up a hairball" variety, yet the music has enough personality to appeal to the non-death/grind crowd...if not to enjoy, at least to appreciate. Besides the audience-limiting vocal style, the only other easy knock to make is the propensity of the band to over-indulge in excessiveness--especially in the areas of song intros and riff killing instrumental sections. Fans of Believer, Living Sacrifice and Mortification cannot afford to miss this disc--and be sure 'n' catch the skillful picking intro to "Removed of the Grave"--accompanied by a single Scripture reading, followed by flute, followed by a wall of grinding metal.