Paul Hutchings heads to the Philippines to investigate the new album by Exterminated

I’m not familiar with the extreme metal scene in the Philippines but if Exterminated are anything to go by, it’s a savage land with little other than hostility and punishment. 

Their debut full length is a ferocious affair and doesn’t stop for long either. 31 minutes of some of the most savage brutal death metal, with wave after wave of blistering blast beats, raging walls of crushing riffs and some of the thickest, guttural vocals combine to steamroller and flatten all in its path. If there’s one criticism, it’s the hideous snare which sounds like drummer Myke Pardo is hitting a baked bean can, albeit amazingly fast.And once you notice it, boy does it rub. 

Formed in Dasmariñas in 2016 by Ace Estandian (Anal Fissure, Guillotined), the band first rippled the extreme pond with the Elements of Obliteration EP in 2018. This debut sees the band progress with some of the nastiest, disgusting death metal you’ll hear all year. The harrowing torture intro of Systematic Holocaust leads into a slow burning start that quickly engages the pulverising riffs. Dive into the centre of the album and you’ll encounter Grave for the Slaughtered. It’s a similar tempo to every song here. Hell, the variation is about as adventurous as painting a magnolia wall cream.

But it works and the sheer force of Chaotic Dimension of the Insane is a levelling boot to the face. There are some downsides. The programming is raw and somewhat over played, and the songs aren’t anything that special. In fact, apart from the sheer size of the music, there is a frustration with the lack of any variation. But that’s small beer for a band who have grabbed their opportunity with both hands and proceeded to wring its scrawny neck.

EXTERMINATED –THE GENESIS OF GENOCIDE is out on Comatose Music on April 9th 2021