Exhumed at Birth

Exhumed at Birth is Faxed Head's follow-up to the extreme-metal-sounding Uncomfortable But Free. It's strikingly similar to its predecessor, with lots of disturbing and unsettling elements making up their twisted heavy metal. There's an overly distorted and saturated sound that permeates the entire album, and variation seems to be the furthest thing from these guys' minds. But it's kind of refreshing in a strange way. In this day and age of artists suddenly shifting musical styles for no reason whatsoever, Faxed Head remains true to the groundwork laid out on their debut. When putting on this album, be prepared for the all-out assault of such hurtful tracks as "I Saw Into the Grave Grave," "The Ancient Evil," and "Teachers." Still, Faxed Head somehow manages to show their experimental side on Exhumed at Birth in the form of chamber music ("House of Spirits"), a sound collage that sounds like it was recorded in the deepest bowels of hell ("The Sickroom of Delivery"), and a track which resembles a prehistoric soundscape ("Susurrus In Gloaming"). Music can't possibly get more repulsive than Faxed Head's Exhumed at Birth. ~ Greg Prato