(Melodic Death Metal) Exhumation - Dance Across The Past (Japanese Edition) - 1999, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

#777Not to be confused with numerous, significantly more obscure heavy metal bands using the same moniker, Greece's Exhumation were part of that country's famed 1990s generation, which also spawned such major names in extreme music as Rotting Christ, Nightfall, and Septic Flesh. Their origins dating back to the late '80s, actually, Exhumation eventually parlayed two demos (1990's The Rebirth and 1994'…s Deepest Side of Fear) into a recording contract with Denmark's Diehard Records, for whom they would record 1997's Seas of Eternal Silence debut with the help of producer Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Pan-Thy-Monium, etc.). Not surprisingly, the latter proved well suited to capture Exhumation's -- then comprising vocalist/bassist John Nokteridis, guitarists Panos Giatzoglou and Marios Iliopoulos, keyboardist Thomas Bairachtaris, and drummer Pantelis Athanasiadis -- eclectic blend of doom, dark, death, and gothic metal. Two additional albums followed in subsequent years: 1998's Dance Across the Past and 1999's Traumaticon -- both of them captured at Sweden's Studio Fredman by producer Fredrik Nordström, who helped bring new dimensions to Exhumation's sound. But the band's drive started to fail thereafter, and when guitarist Iliopoulos left to join rivals Nightrage, Exhumation quietly decided to break up. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
The brute force known to the world as Exhumation, was formed back in January 1990. After having released two demo-tapes –“The Rebirth” and “Deepest Side Of Fear”- they signed with well known Danish Metal label Diehard Music/Emz.In 1996 they recorded their debut album in the highly acclaimed Unisound Studios in Sweden with producer extraordinaire Dan Swano. The outcome was “Seas Of Eternal Silence” and the band took off right away with its incredible melodies, sheer brutality and elegant compositions. The sound of Exhumation on this opus can only be described as the perfect match of speed and melody. After that the band was ready to take one step further. They concentrated on writing new material for their next album. This time around, their choice of preference was the legendary Fredman Studios in Gothenburg/Sweden with production mastermind Fredrik Nordstrom. During the recording sessions the band did a cover of Sepultura’ s “Territory” which was included on the compilation tribute album “Sepultural Feast” released on Black Sun Recs.At that time the band was free to negotiate a new term record deal and among other offers they signed with French label Holy Recs. On the fall of ’98 their second album “Dance Across The Past” was released. The band matured as individuals and as musicians. The songwriting of the album reached another level introducing new elements of melancholy and eerie feelings. This time the sound was more tight, more in -your- face with guitar madness reigning all over!The album was also licensed in Japan, on Avalon/Marquee, and in a short time Exhumation became Holy Record’s top selling band in Japan. Exhumation’s growing reputation led to their invitation to perform live at Greece’s premier outdoor “Rockwave” festival, during the summer of 1999 alongside Immortal, Sodom, Manowar and Mercyful Fate!In the mean time, the band had a whole album’s worth of material prepared and August 1999 found them in Gothenburg/Sweden recording their third album. Once again the man behind the console was none other than Fredrik Nordstrom, this time in the new Fredman Studio. Exhumation returned with “Traumaticon”, a concept album about the mankind mind confusion and psychological trauma. The new songs are now faster, more brutal and the production was rawer than ever with its high quality sound. Remaining are the eerie feelings of melancholy and sorrow, adding to that, straightforwardness and inner rage which sums up the latest delivery from the Dancers Of The Past

#777We were approaching the big ending of the twentieth century when a certain band hailing from Greece released their second album: it was high time for some serious quality standards in the realm of melodic death metal by the hand of Exhumation. I can say I came across this album entirely by accident, when I went over to a friend’s and he showed me the latest cd he had bought: “Dance across the past”. And I must say it was a groundbreaking experience for me, because after listening to it there I rushed to get my own cd. I just had to. Why? Well, to put it in very simple words, because it rocks like a head banger!
I still don’t understand how this album can be so underrated. It is by far one of the best melodic death metal albums of all time – and I am counting Dark Tranquility’s “Damage done” and Hypocrisy’s “Abducted” right alongside this one. “Dance across the past” has some of the coolest riffs ever played, both guitarists deliver a true opus throughout the entire record, balancing some very hypnotic acoustic passages (like they do on the title track’s intro) with fantastic solo-like sections. I mean, it is amazing the way the lead guitarist Marios gives way to leading sections out of the mere flow of each song’s melodic lines, solos sounding as if they were picked out of the air with the most absolute ease. And they are not the super fast, super complex kind of stuff, no sir. The guitars always tend to flow. That is the word: music just flows out of those guitars. But don’t you think it is a mere exercise of melody without a serious backbone behind it.
The drumming is very good, combining double bass with up-tempo skin beatings blasting in your face, and suddenly out comes a rhythmic change that makes you want to bang your head with your teeth gnashing and all.
The vocals are some of the best I have ever heard, very guttural, very cavernous, but not very deep. John, the vocalist who also takes care of the bass, has a register that goes more into the moderately shouting, something in the vein of Gorefest’s vocal tract. And it sound incredible atop all the instruments, crowning the whole thing with a unique strength that would leave everyone with their jaws to the ground when they played live.
The bass is not very prominent here, it kind of works more as a mere underlining for the guitars within the rhythmic section, but believe me, you won’t be craving for anything different in how the songs sound.
Speaking of songs, they have been put on the album in such an order that the intensity grows and grows as the record advances in length. The further we listen to it, the more intensely powerful the songs get. It starts out very mid-tempo and it keeps it that way until song number 3, the title track. Those opening songs are heavy and they mean business, but they do not prepare you to the spectacular growth of intensity after the first minute of “The Slender Light” bursts out into a surrounding whirlwind of sound coming out of every single square millimeter of the speakers. An overwhelming assault of raging death metal, heavy and powerful, and yet always remarkably and crushingly melodic. From track 4 to track 8 you just get more and more intensity in the twists and turns of both the riff machine and the unstoppable soloing. Incredible.
The choruses to “The Moonless Night”, “Regrettable Remains” or “My Depression” are memorable and eternal masterpieces of death metal. After 35 minutes of some of the most emotional music you can pack tightly together in a death metal album, these guys decide to render a fine homage to Sepultura, presenting their own version of “Territory”, off of 1993’s “Chaos AD”. Strangely enough – but only if you don’t hear the album from head to toe – it sounds as if this song had always been an Exhumation song, written and recorded for this album. Their version is superb, sometimes it sounds even better than the original, mostly due to John’s extremely powerful vocals.
To be into death metal in general, and into melodic death metal in particular, and not to know this fantastic album is a true crime; it is a deep, deep loss. If you have the chance, do buy this album. It will become a reference in your discography.
Review written by TheSkrypter for www.metal-archives.com