Exhumed’s Matt Harvey Releases Superman-Inspired Solo Synth Album

If you had to guess which superhero would be the subject of an album by Matt Harvey from Exhumed and Gruesome, you probably would not guess Superman. Punisher, Swamp Thing, sure. Batman, Deadpool, perhaps. But the Big Blue Boy Scout? That’s too square for Matt Harvey… isn’t it?

Apparently not! Mr. Harvey has, in fact, just released Last Son of Krypton, an instrumental solo album “heavily inspired by the comics of his youth and the Superman universe.” It’s truly like nothing Harvey has ever done before — it sounds like a very John Williams-esque score for an unproduced Superman movie.

And an upbeat, optimistic Superman movie at that! No snapping necks for this Man of Steel. The only dissonant, dark, modern-sounding pieces are mostly devoted to the villains (“Lex Luthor, Man of Tomorro,” “Brainiac Descends”) and parts of the story where, I imagine, SHIT JUST GOT REAL (“Look! Up in the Sky!”, “A City Without Heroes”). As a fan who believes there’s still a place in the world for a non-broody Superman, it’s very refreshing.

Says Harvey of the endeavor:

“I love storytelling and music and it was really exciting to undertake a project that combines those two things. The album was mostly composed during 2020 and ended up being my attempt to combat the omnipresent doom and gloom of the year. Creating the record was a hell of a journey, and I humbly invite you to come along for a ride through my imagination.”

Listen to Last Son of Krypton below. It’s out now on Relapse; buy it here.