EXMORTUS – In Hatred’s Flame

There is really something going on in the Metal scene with all these new bands that try to get closer to the mid-80s sound, when things where on the making. It seems that this scene tends to re-discover itself and maybe (or hopefully for some) will reject all the new parasitic music genres (a.k.a. NuMetal and Metalcore) that in some degree spoil the whole Metal atmosphere.

One of the bands that belong to this almost New Wave is Exmortus that hail from Los Angeles, USA. The band has recently signed a record deal with Heavy Artillery Records who will release their debut under the ‘Metal’ title In Hatred’s Flame and a different artwork (and way better) from what is shown on the side.

When “In Hatred’s Flame” enters as the opening track, there is absolutely no room to move or even breath. The solid guitar groove and the vocal chord ripping scream is just the beginning for the Death/Thrash Metal holocaust that follows. The guitars are excellent, laying down shredding leads and fills while adding some bits of melody during the solo. “Triumph By Fire” introduces some additional melody without losing an inch in terms of aggression and heaviness. The guitar arpeggios, hammer on and pull offs almost touch the Power Metal sound, bringing to mind Yngwie Malmsteen and his Rising Force. Exmortus move deeper in the Death Metal territory with “War Gods,” introducing faster drums, deep vocal growls, and even more impressive riffs. The staccato break with double drum pedalling and the dominating bass sound are some very good reasons for quality headbanging time. No rest for the wicked, as “Onward To Battle” goes even faster on the twin guitar work that might reveal some early Annihilator Speed Thrash finishing touches.

Exmortus started building their music with some Death influences, especially in the song structure by adding some Neoclassical Thrash, and created an impressive debut. One of the elements of their success is that the band has kept the Progressive Metal guitar breaks restricted, avoiding the danger of making the songs sound overloaded. Indeed, Exmortus stay focused on making aggressive music with neck-snapping rhythms perfectly supporting the war related lyrics. One complaint could be made when it comes to the vocals that sometimes they sound over-distorted, kind of flat and less raw than this genre requires.

“Glory On The Battlefield” and “Axes Of War” continue in the same grinding bones pattern while “Storms” touches the Black Metal sound with the addition of blast drumbeats and high-pitched screams.

The fact that Heavy Artillery Records plans to release this album in a vinyl format makes it even more enticing for the diehard fans who like having their Metal served in the Traditional way!