Legacy bands are great, but unless they're fostering the new wave of metal bands, the genre is going to have a major problem at some point. Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey fully recognizes that and in an interview with New Noise Magazine, explains why those legacy bands are still awesome but also need to do their part in lifting up the next generation.
"It's cool because there's this cyclical or nostalgic churn, really in all popular culture, but specifically in metal, where people look back at things that were happening 25 years ago… you sort of see that things come out and they're super exciting and then they're kind of lame and uncool for a while, and then it sort of comes back around," said Harvey.
"I think that being in a position to take out younger bands is really cool, and I think it's important. Ultimately for the scene to survive, it can't just be, like, 10 legacy bands. That's fucking boring. This is the kind of music that if you get really excited about it, you do something. You get involved in photography, or journalism, or promotion, or playing… I think when you see younger people having that drive, then it's a sign that the scene is quite healthy."
And what's not to love about the modern death metal scene? There are a ton of great bands making loads of killer music these days, so finding an opener for the next Cannibal Corpse or Deicide tour shouldn't be too difficult. For starters, here are 16 excellent death metal debut albums that came out in 2022! Or our brand new weekly Death Metal Monday feature might be more up your alley.
What I'm getting at is this – the talent is there. It just needs that extra push into the collective limelight. In the meantime, jam Exhumed's new record To The Dead below.
Exhumed is also keeping true to his word with a tour featuring Hulder and Vitrol, plus Molder and Castrator as openers depending on which date you hit.
w/ Molder
11/10 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
11/11 Seattle, WA @ Substation
11/12 Boise, ID @ The Shredder
11/13 Salt Lake City, UT @ Ace’s High Saloon
11/14 Denver, CO @ HQ
11/16 Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
11/17 Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s
11/18 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
11/19 Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi
11/20 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary
11/21 Cincinnati, OH @ Legends
11/22 Cleveland, OH @ No Class
w/ Castrator
11/23 Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo
11/25 Boston, MA @ Sonia
11/26 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
11/27 Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows
11/29 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11/30 Norfolk, VA @ Norfolk Taphouse
12/01 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
12/02 Atlanta, GA @ Bogg’s
