Having spearheaded the groove-metal movement back in the early ’90s, influencing countless bands, some of which were Pantera, Lamb of God and DevilDriver, to name but a few, Exhorder seemed to take their foot off the pedal and slip out the back door after 1992’s ‘Their Law‘ opus, where they remained only as a fond memory for the best part of thirty years.
Their return to the stage saw 2019’s excellent ‘Mourn the Southern Skies‘ well received by fans and critics alike, thrusting the band back into the much-deserved limelight…and then the pandemic struck.
With some line-up changes (guitarist Marzi Montazeri departed in 2022) the band decided to re-evaluate their direction, and recruited former Cannibal Corpse guitarist, Pat O’Brien which was a match made in heaven, as the new album testifies!
‘Defectum Omnium‘ is truly a sensational body of work. O’Brien’s presence throughout, he brings his raw-sounding performance to the albums twelve tracks. From track opener, ‘Wrath of Prophecies‘ to gooey centre, where you’ll find the fantastically titled; ‘Year of the Goat‘ and beyond, Exhorder have truly outdone themselves here.
Kyle Thomas raises the bar with some of the best metal vocals you’ll hear this year! Gritty, aggressive and packed to the brim with melody and emotion, ‘Defectum Omium‘ is simply a beast of an album.
Not only do Exhorder scratch that itch you’ve been waiting for, but an added bonus of closing track ‘Your Six‘ features Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin of Trouble brings that pinch of pure magic to an already sensational album.
Whatever you do, get this album. Don’t walk to your local record store to pick it up, run there! 4/5
Order your copy here. Release date, March 8th via Nuclear Blast.
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2024
