Exhumed — Red Asphalt and the Art of Entertainment
There’s a certain expectation that comes with a band like Exhumed. Decades into their career, pioneers of gore-soaked deathgrind, they aren’t here to reinvent the genre—they’re here to remind you why it works in the first place. With Red Asphalt, their latest full-length release, Exhumed doubles down on what they’ve always done best: turning death, destruction, gore, and absurdity into something undeniably entertaining.
Red Asphalt: Death Metal in the Fast Lane
Released in February 2026 via Relapse Records, Red Asphalt is less a traditional concept album and more of a thematic obsession—one centered around automobiles, violence, and the thin line between everyday life and sudden death. Critics have described it as a “vehicular homicide concept album in spirit” (Duncan), taking the band’s trademark gore and adding a fixation on the open road and it’s dangers.
Red Asphalt by Exhumed album cover.
Cover and photos by Ross Sewage.
It’s a concept that works because it feels grounded. While Exhumed has always reveled in over-the-top splatter, here the horror is familiar—cars, highways, crashes. As one review points out, the album taps into “something more mundane and somehow more terrifying…” (Duncan), everyday infrastructure turned lethal. The band frames vehicles as 2,000 pound death machines, pushing the listener to confront the violence embedded in normal life.
Musically, Red Asphalt is exactly what you’d expect—and that is not a bad thing.
Riffs come fast and sharp, balancing chaos with groove-heavy sections and a flash of melody here and there. The exchanges of Matt Harvey’s high snarls and Ross Sewage’s guttural lows remains one of the band’s defining strengths, creating that distinct Exhumed “whistling” sound when they overlap. The exchanges between them create a call-and-response energy that keeps it feeling dynamic. The production is absolutely filthy, but controlled— “polished enough to not wear the edges off,” as one reviewer put it (Edmunds).
Standout tracks like “Shock Trauma” and title track “Red Asphalt” showcase the band at peak efficiency: catchy, aggressive, tightly constructed. Meanwhile, slower cuts like “Shovelhead” introduce a crushing, mid-tempo weight that keeps the album from becoming a blur of blast beats. Even critics who found the album somewhat safe admitted it’s still consistently heavy and cohesive. (Fantano) Though, I disagree that the album was “safer,” I think it was Exhumed. It joined groove, speed, grind, and gore in a way that makes you think it’s safe because it’s just that good. If these tracks blend to you, you need to listen to more death metal.
That’s really the key to Red Asphalt, though. It’s not trying to reinvent the genre, its refining. It’s “business as usual” (Edmunds) executed with precision, confidence, and a clear understanding of what makes death metal fun.
My top 3 favorite tracks:
The Art of Entertainment
Matt Harvey (left) and Ross Sewage (right) of Exhumed at Chapel of Bones, Raleigh, NC.
Video by Karlee Roberts.
If there’s one word that keeps coming up in discussions of Exhumed, it’s fun.
That might sound strange for a band built on gore, autopsies, and now vehicular carnage, but it’s true. Exhumed has always operated in the space where extremity meets theatricality and Red Asphalt leans fully into that.
The album plays like a grindhouse film set on the interstate—over-the-top, self-aware, impossible to look away from…the band takes an extremely specific concept and commits to it, turning it into a cohesive aesthetic experience rather than just a collection of songs.
That’s what separates Exhumed from any imitator, they understand that metal can be just as much about performance and personality as it is about technicality. It isn’t just writing riffs, it’s world building. That sense of entertainment, of course, carries into their live shows.
On their current tour supporting Red Asphalt, Exhumed has been delivering exactly what you’d hope for: high energy, chaotic performances filled with theatrical elements and fan interaction. The sets have been featuring fake blood, props, and even a chainsaw-wielding stage character—turning the performance into something more than a standard concert.
It’s that commitment to spectacle that makes their live presence stand out to me and many others, this isn’t just a band playing songs—it’s an experience.
Sebastian “Baz” Phillips (right) of Exhumed and Dr. Philthy (left) mid-guitar battle at Chapel of Bones, Raleigh, NC.
Photo by Gabriella Stephens (IG: @sinsxoddities).
live show experience at chapel of bones (raleigh, nc)
I caught this tour at Chapel of Bones in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it was everything a show should be.
The lineup alone was stacked with talent:
Oxygen Destroyer from Seattle, WA brought high-speed assault with their kaiju-inspired music—tight, aggressive, and kicks you in the face. Trying not to bang your head to this band is entirely impossible.
NO/MÁS out of Washington, D.C. delivered a grindcore set that was raw and unrelenting, the kind of performance that feels like it could fall apart at any second—but never does. The energy from them was insane, with lead vocalist Roger Rivadeneira throwing down on stage like he was one with the crowd.
Disrotter representing Richmond, VA underground grind/death. Dissonant, rotting, and suffocating, perfectly rounding out the bill.
By the time Exhumed took the stage, the energy in the room was at a peak and they somehow pushed it even further.
The setlist leaned heavily into Red Asphalt, with tracks like “Unsafe At Any Speed” and “Shock Trauma” translating perfectly to a live environment. The riffs hit harder, groove heavier, and the crowd was feeding off of every second. There’s something about hearing these songs live in a packed, moshing, energy-filled room, that makes the album’s themes hit even more; the chaos, violence, the spectacle.
And just like I thought, it wasn’t just a show, it was an experience. Appearing on stage was a man dressed as a bloodied chainsaw-wielding doctor, of whom the band coined “Dr. Philthy” who clashes a chainsaw to an old guitar sending sparks flying, drives a mini-bike on stage, empties a blood-filled severed prop head over the crowd…the theatrics don’t stop with Exhumed. Blood, movement, interaction, and a clear sense that the band is having just as much fun as the crowd.
Red Asphalt is a reminder of why Exhumed has lasted this long in the first place. It’s tight, thematic, and above all, fun, what I think makes extreme music work. They continue to embrace the absurd, the grotesque, and theatrical—and in doing so, they keep extreme metal alive in an important way: by making it entertaining.
See you in the pit. — Karlee Roberts
Dr. Philthy of Exhumed at Chapel of Bones, Raleigh, NC.
Photo by Gabriella Stephens (IG: @sinsxoddities).
Dr. Philthy of Exhumed at Chapel of Bones, Raleigh, NC.
Photo by Gabriella Stephens (IG: @sinsxoddities).
Duncan, Jeremiah. "Review—Exhumed Red Asphalt." Scene Point Blank, March, 1, 2026, https://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews/exhumed/red-asphalt
https://exhumed.bandcamp.com/music
Edmunds, Andrew. "Exhumed - Red Asphalt Review." Last Rites, February, 25, 2026, https://yourlastrites.com/2026/02/25/exhumed-red-asphalt-review/
Fantano, Anthony. "Exhumed - Red Asphalt." The Needle Drop, February, 26, 2026, https://theneedledrop.com/album-reviews/exhumed-red-asphalt-album-review
Frausto, Anita. "CONCERT REVIEW: Exhumed – Oxygen Destroyer – NO/MAS – Unidad Trauma – Genestealer Live at Brick By Brick, San Diego." Ghost Cult Magazine, April, 3, 2026, https://ghostcultmag.com/concert-review-exhumed-oxygen-destroyer-no-mas-unidad-trauma-genestealer-live-at-brick-by-brick-san-diego
https://nomasgrind.bandcamp.com/
Stephens, Gabriella [@sinsxoddities]. "The dudes of Exhumed headlining what was probably the best show I’ve ever seen at Chapel of Bones!" Instagram, 5 March 2026, https://www.instagram.com/p/DVhc5BjFp0z/?igsh=MTBocngxa3M5ZGo0YQ==.
