Opus Death by Exhumation is a record that even the truest cult metal followers can sink their teeth into. From “Soul Wanders” through “Lullabyss,” Exhumation summons the classic origins of sinister death metal. In the same vein as the earliest death metal albums with indisputable homage to early Mayhem, Possessed, Deicide and Hellhammer,Opus Death is a collection of relentlessly tortured riffs, sick solos, and furious drumming. In writing and recording, if this album came out in the late 80’s or early 90’s, it would likely be recognized as one of the classics today.
However true to that era of sound, it was originally released in 2015. Opus Death was just re-issued via Makara Press as Exhumation work to fund their United States tour this upcoming year. There is also a slew of new merch to help bring the Indonesian extreme metal outfit to the states in addition to recording new material. Like many underground metal bands, the struggle is real to bring the music to fans. That’s where we come in.
Whenever you catch yourself enjoying a band, if all you ever do is stream them, you’re really not helping them survive. I’m not sure we would have the vinyl resurgence we have today if it wasn’t for the underground music communities that kept the format alive all these years. While many of us struggle to keep up with rising costs of living, it’s still important to support the arts: especially the working-class artists around the world.
I digress. Perhaps I will dedicate an entire post to the importance of purchasing physical media directly from artists and/or independent labels at some point. For now, let’s dive into Opus Death in more detail.
The Tracks
While combining death, black metal, and maybe even a little grind has been done before, for anyone with an appreciation for the foundation of extreme metal, “Soul Wanders” bait you and “Upon Our Hordes” (one of my favorite tracks) lure you in to listen all the way through. These songs are more than carbon copies of the classics, they’re reimagined in the ways the influences are fused together. There is a fine line between emulation and imitation, Exhumation honor that distinction with their frenzied writing.
The feelings only intensify when you venture to “Witching Evil,” which is one of my favorite tracks at present, and “Possessed.” Its reminiscent of the relentless fury of early Mayhem, but it also has a semblance of Seven Churches. And I’m not just saying that because of one of the song titles (ha)! In fact, the precision with the guitar work reminded me a lot of Possessed and Sodom. The vocals throughout the album mark the distinction of style between Exhumation and their classic predecessors.
The midway point of the album, “The Sleeping Darkness,” deviates from the relentless speed of the songs prior with an eerie piano score alongside a storm. The way it cascades into the darkened melodic guitars that make up “Graveyard Alike,” reminded me of …And So The Night Became era Aeternus.
Exhumation pivot to early thrash like Slayer or Sodom for “Labyrinth of Fire“, “Ironheart“, and “Hymn of Death.” While they still cling to a Deathcrush foundation in writing, I thoroughly enjoy how they intertwine the early death and thrash days. Back when those two genres had more in common than the sounds of present.
To close out the album, Exhumation demonstrates their musicianship beyond a bludgeoning fury with a beautiful acoustic outro, “Lullabyss.” Mixing acoustic and metal is one of my favorite dynamic elements of dark music.
Background
I spoke with Yoga and he was kind enough to answer some questions for me.
E: Who were some of your local influences writing and recording ‘Opus Death’?
Y:We were united in our alienation to fit in with our desire to express ourselves freely and follow our own thorny paths back in the day when we were writing the Opus Death. So, the Indonesian metal scene in its big picture did not play a significant part, but bands such as Mystis, Fallenlight, and Headkrusher were the ultimate role models of intelligent and visionary groups who are unfraid to step beyond conformity and helped Exhumation take death metal in a more serious manner, musically and essentially. However, the nature of Yogyakarta, our hometown, was and is the biggest influence on our recording. I remember back in the studio, the intensity and swirling darkness of that summer of 2013 were otherworldly. So, it was not “who” again, but more like “what,” which is the inevitable force that made the album whole.
E: Who are your main influences for Exhumation?
Y:If the Opus Death, it was the works of John Milton and Necrovore that made us do it. As of now, I think we have more broad influences. So, it is now not all about rebelling against the current like we did in the past. The wildest expression that was stirred by the formula “We are Death, Fukk You!” kind of mentality, or the way we think that our music should be feared by common men. It is now far beyond that, which is way more challenging. Even though I don’t know how to surpass the energy when we were in our early 20s, when we had enough angst to hate everyone in equal proportion, Well, I think we are going in the right direction. Particularly after Sebek joined the band as a live and recording bass player. A rare breed that we have been longing for years to join this pact and seal his will with Exhumation, proudly and bravely. I hope this broader inspiration could lead us to a new dimension that gives Exhumation’s art the best kind of extreme music that resonates very well across the very different lived experiences of our supporters. And by the look of things recently, a herald of many amazing things from the Exhumation is yet to come.
E: When and where did you record the album?
Y: It was recorded in our hometown, Yogyakarta, in a studio called Watchtower. We did record the album in 2013.
E: The piano work for “The Sleeping Darkness” is beautiful. What inspired this track?
Y: It’s a bit hard to re-digest things that we did in the past. Memorizing what was the main inspiration for a certain song in our old catalog is definitely not my forte, but let me try my best. The first thing that came to mind is that I gave a basic rhythm to our close friend Dedhy, who recorded that song. I asked him to develop that core into a celebration of the great darkness that was impatiently waiting to be summoned. I didn’t expect our collaborator to be a hostage to our own imagination. I wanted that darkness to grow and tear us apart naturally. That was what we wanted from that song particularly, The Sleeping Darkness. However, it feels good that you feel that way. beautiful in the darkness. An understandable way of seeing death metal through the eye of Exhumation. As death is not mere an eternity in darkness but endless possibilities to live.
E: “Lullabyss” is equally beautiful. I am a big fan of acoustic segments on extreme albums. Do you have influences outside of metal?
Y: Absolutely. I am always so keen to listen to more transcendental instrumental old folk music from the 70s these days for my inner peace. I think the same thing goes with our vocalist, P-Bones. It’s quite difficult to point my finger at which non-metal band is the best to recommend because my playlist is constantly changing. I like to sleep with that music on. I always like the interaction with the rhythm of music when the body is asleep. I like them floating and disturbing my brain.
E: And lastly, there’s a lot of hurdles for underground musicians to record new music and even more to hit the road. What are your aspirations for this upcoming year?
Y: I totally agree with your point. That being said, it is a bit unhealthy to think too much ahead. But next year, we have a concrete agenda to tour Europe, which should have happened in 2020, after the fourth album is released. Not long after Europe, the USA tour is definitely a dream, and we had a massive plot to do that.
Exhumation’s Opus Death
You can order Exhumation’s III – Hypostasis via Bandcamp, here. The digital copy is just $6.66 and the vinyl $22.
There’s also an abundance of sick merch available.