EXHUMED are gearing up for the release of "Red Asphalt" on February 20, with several preview tracks already streaming online and generating enthusiastic response from the death metal underground. The San Jose, California-based act have been one of the most reliably ferocious bands in extreme music since their formation in 1990, and their latest offering promises to continue the tradition of surgical precision riffing, blast-beat-driven intensity, and gleefully grotesque horror-themed lyrics that have defined their career.
Frontman Matt Harvey — who handles both vocals and guitar duties — has built EXHUMED into a death metal/grindcore institution that pays loving homage to the genre's late '80s and early '90s golden era while maintaining a distinctly modern production standard. The band's sound draws from the same well as CARCASS, REPULSION, and IMPETIGO, combining the medical-horror aesthetic of goregrind with the musical sophistication of classic death metal in a way that is both viscerally revolting and genuinely impressive from a technical standpoint.
"Red Asphalt" arrives during a stacked February release calendar that also includes new material from CONVERGE, CLAWFINGER, and several other heavy acts, making it a particularly competitive month for extreme music releases. However, EXHUMED have never been a band concerned with commercial competition — their audience is loyal, dedicated, and primarily interested in the quality and intensity of the riffs rather than any broader industry considerations.
The album title itself evokes the vintage driver's education shock films of the same name, fitting perfectly within EXHUMED's longstanding fascination with graphic horror imagery drawn from B-movies, medical textbooks, and exploitation cinema. EXHUMED remain tireless road warriors, and extensive touring in support of "Red Asphalt" is expected throughout 2026, bringing their unrelenting live show to stages across North America and Europe.