Embalmer is an American death metal band from Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1989, Toby Wulff (bass/vocals), Roy Stewart (drums), and Mark Davis (guitar) formed the band, under the name Corpsegrinder. They released their first demo, "Into The Oven" independently in 1991, having by that time changed their name to Embalmer. At the end of the recording of the demo, Scott Cunningham stepped in to play second guitar but was quickly replaced with Duane Morris. Late 1992 saw the departure of Wulff and Morris.
In 1993, the band independently released the "Rotting Remains" demo, with Roy and Mark of the original group, Rick Fleming (vocals), Brian Holmberg (bass), and Jocko Jermann (guitar) joining them. In 1994, the demo caught the attention of Relapse Records and they began distributing it through their catalog. In late 1994, Holmberg left the band, first replaced by first the return of Wulff, and then later by Dave Phillips. In 1995, the band released the "There Was Blood Everywhere" EP on 7-inch vinyl through Relapse, containing four tracks. Two years later they released a compilation album under the same name, which re-released "Rotting Remains" and "There Was Blood Everywhere" on one CD. In 1996, Dave Phillips left and was replaced by Greg Jucuum. In late 1997 Rick Fleming left and was replaced by Frank Walls. Shortly thereafter, the band went on hiatus, and would not return for eight years.
Embalmer reformed in 2005 and began work on new material. The band at this point consisted of Roy, Rick, Mark, Jocko and newcomer Rob Lesniak. In early 2006, both Mark and Jocko left the band, leading to Don Wolff (lead guitar) joining the band, and eventually the return of Morris. In 2007, they played several shows.[1] Their album 13 Faces Of Death was released on October 13, 2006, through Potatohead Productions.
In 2012, vocalist Rick Fleming was fired from the band. Brian Baxter recruited longtime friend Paul Gorefiend to fill the vocal slot, and Joe Wunderle joined on bass. In addition this lineup departed on the band's first tours of the United States. The band continues active to this day, with the album Emanations from the Crypt released on April 1, 2016, through Hells Headbangers Records.
In 2019, the band released a live in the studio album, Embalmed Alive.
As of January 2022, Embalmer's third album Pathways to Putrefaction is in the final stages of recording and will be released later in 2022.The band is set to perform a handful of shows throughout 2022 with bands joining on varied dates such as Nunslaughter, Fully Consumed, Ignominous, and more.[2]