Exhale
Prototype
7.7
Suppose a couple of fellows from obscure Swedish black metallers Crimson Moonlight got together with another Swede from fellow Swedish and defunct death mongers Sordid and paid homage to Nasum. Would it be any good? Well, based on both Crimson Moonlight 's average discography and Sordid’s limited offerings, you’d think not, but in fact Prototype ends up being one of those surprise albums you uncover with no expectations at all and ends up blowing you away.
The Nasum reference, while a vast categorical starting point for Exhale’s (Inhale/Exhale?) grindcore/death metal melee is appropriate in part to the dual growled/screamed vocals, samples, short song titles (some in Swedish), midrange guitar tone and rampant vitriolic grindcore expulsions. Except Exhale’s songs are a little longer and have a little more death metal groove and restraint in small doses and the deep vocals of Johann Y (Sordid) are waaaaaaaay deep, like early Carcass or John Gallagher (Dying Fetus) deep. Still, structurally, Exhale deliver 14 tightly wound, blast-beat fueled bursts of what is at its base level surprisingly good Nasum-ish styled grindcore.
Those familiar with Nasum will instantly recognize short violent, power chord/blastbeat driven salvos like “Besviken Igen”, “Stangda Dorrar”, “It”, “Voices” and “Bussen Till Helvetet pt.2”, but less ADD driven listeners will appreciate tracks like “Decapitate”, “Hatet”, “Humans Own Defeat”, and “Lie” as they have a little more variety and pacing amid the caustic grindage, including some very hefty grooves ("Decapitate", “Defy”, “Die Inside”, “Self Denial”, “Reflections”), and if hefty grooves are your thing the short but mammoth segue track “Bussen Till Helvetet pt.1” will shake your foundation. The production is hefty and clear with a perfect mix of low-end rumble and razor sharp mid range guitars. My only beef would be the slightly programmed (though not programmed, just over produced) sounding drums.
With so much big name and big label grindcore to choose from (The Berzerker, Kill the Client, Napalm Death, Squash Bowels, Antigama, JaKa, etc) it would be easy to over look this rather under the radar release, but Exhale end up delivering a top notch grindcore surprise that will please all fans of down-tuned extremity.
