Gruesome is a respectful a celebration of the sound of the early Death records. The band was borne out of guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey and drummer Gus Rios' mutual involvement with the DEATH TO ALL tours (Harvey serving as frontman for the original nine-member mini-tour and Rios performing "Baptized In Blood" and working with DTA drummer Sean Reinert on the following US tour where Exhumed filled in as support on a few dates).

The pair stayed in touch and discussed their mutual love (obsession?) for the early half of Death's catalog. After discussing and discarding the idea of putting together another incarnation of DTA to focus exclusively on the first two albums, Harvey half-jokingly suggested writing their own songs in that vein. It wasn't long before the idea gained traction, and the "band" had five songs written. With Harvey writing in California, Rios recruited Possessed guitarist Daniel Gonzalez and Derkéta bassist Robin Mazen to record the material in Florida, while Harvey tracked his vocals on the west coast.

The result is a truly gruesome slab of late-80s / early 90s "Florida Death Metal" that specifically celebrates the early Death records. Tragically, there will never be any truly new Death material, but Gruesome is humbly determined to keeping the band's classic sound alive as faithfully as possible.