With a band name like Cerebral Hemorrhage, you’d be inclined to think that Exempting Reality isn’t about being a teen trying to find your place in the world while dealing with your angst. You’d be right because this act is all about bringing old-school Death Metal to its real roots. I’m not talking about the retro-Death Metal we’ve had over the last 10 years. I mean Death Metal from the era before computers—when the USA and Sweden were battling to see who could produce the most poorly recorded piece of violent music. Enough with the history lesson!
Or maybe not, because Exempting Reality is a re-release and it sounds like it’s 1996. If you told me this album came out that year, I’d believe it. It has Cryptopsy written all over it. I didn’t even know it was possible to purposely obtain this vintage vibe in such a ferocious and disgusting way. Having said that, the album does feel like getting beaten up with a cheese grater, only to later get pummeled with a rice cooker. Why am I using kitchen references, you ask? Am I hungry? Probably. But it’s because Exempting Reality feels as rancid as a bag of moldy cucumbers forgotten in the fridge for months.
I think my favorite part of the album was the drums. Again, they’re so ancient Cryptopsy and Immolation. That destructive snare blends in with riffs that at times are difficult to decipher—which, again, is a total homage to that era of Death Metal. The vocals are less random, though; they’re definitely more polished than what you could expect 25 years ago. Yet, don’t expect anything but constant brain bashing. The band’s name is truly fitting. However, I was more skeptical about… (not you, drums, you sound as sick as I ever wanted you!).
Well, there’s no abuse of the breakdown here. I’ll give the album that. You see, Exempting Reality is a time machine so perfectly tuned for the ’90s that you probably won’t be that surprised if you’re an old-school fan. You might stick to your old guns. Then there’s the fact that the album is Brutal Death Metal that aspires to nothing else. Fortunately, it’s not long; otherwise, I’d have to axe the score hard. I’m not the biggest fan of retro-Metal, but maybe you long for your glory days, and this will bring you back there.
If you want to disconnect and give in to your anger, then Cerebral Hemorrhage will have you bleeding as fast as you can say the album’s title. Just remember that you’re in for the blast and the explosion you’ve always known, not for a trip through snobbish abstraction. This is a return to the sewers of extreme Metal, and your expectations should adapt to the horrors you’ll find down there.
It’s underground, so click here
Label: Comatose Music
Release date: January 17, 2025
Website: https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/exempting-reality
Country: USA
Score: a bled out 3.0/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 