siLLy puPPy Emerging from the Los Angeles metroplex city of Whittier, California in the year 2003, EXMORTUS hit the ground running as a bonafide technical thrash metal powerhouse whose sound showcased an uncompromising extreme metal fury with lightning fast tempos accompanied by punishing twin guitar attacks with traces of death metal and NWOBHM that would later lead the band out of the world of tech thrash and more into the world of neoclassical infused power metal.

After a series of demos and EPs, EXMORTUS unleashed its furor onto the metal world with its full-length debut IN HATRED’S FLAME which was released from the fiery pits of hell in the year 2008 and immediately displayed the three man team of Conan (Lead and Rhythm Guitars), Balmore (Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars) Bass and Mario (Drums) as a raging technical explosion of molten metal madness with outstanding musicianship conspiring to craft 11 tracks of high energy sophisticated thrash metal that added the extra touches of neoclassical shredding solos as well as the death metal vocal growls of Balmore.

This is one of those albums that doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath as it’s high octane incessant battlefield action for its entire 43 minute jaunt into the world of war which the band has been most proficient at narrating through a never-ending series of lyrical devotion to the incessant slaughter of enemy forces and in this case it’s your ear drums! This is probably the only example i’ve come across where an extreme metal band has forged an unholy union between the technical prowess of tech thrash metal that infuses neoclassical power metal and traces of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest into their overall style. Add the death metal growls and EXMORTUS really stands out as something out of the ordinary.

Perhaps the main problem with IN HATRED’S FLAME is that the band is on full adrenaline mode for the entire album’s run and therefore comes across like one of those CGI battle scenes that runs by so quickly that there’s no time to process all the bantering stimulation but on the flip side, this metal madness is so perfectly performed and embodies the spirit of an incessant battle between forces that it works perfectly. While i prefer more varied metal experiences, sometimes just a laser precise focus on a single reaction is what the doctor order and nothing embodies the most horrific bloody war scene like EXMORTUS achieves on this excessive barrage of extreme metal splendor. This is an electric storm of epic battle metal matched by the seasoned musicianship with an intensity like few others.

UMUR "Ride Forth" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, California based metal act Exmortus. The album was released through Prosthetic Records in January 2016. It´s the successor to "Slave to the Sword" from 2014. There has been one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Clodoaldo Bibiano has been replaced by Mike Cosio.

Stylistically "Ride Forth" continues the energetic and melodic death/thrash metal style of the predecessor, but with an even stronger emphasis on their neo-classical leanings. It´s an interesting combination of elements, which also includes traditional heavy metal styled riffs and lyrical themes/imagery. When Exmortus play their most raw death/thrash parts they occasionally remind me of early- to mid 90s Carcass, but that´s only a very few times during the playing time, and overall I´d say a less known artist like Arghoslent are a more valid reference (minus the white supremacy lyrical themes of their fellow countrymen).

Exmortus are an exceptionally well playing act, and the listener is exposed to raw snarling vocals, neo-classical guitar shredding (and occasionally bass ditto), a tight playing rhythm section, and just overall powerful and memorable songwriting. Sometimes it´s almost a little too polished and nice, and a bit more rawness could have made the listening experience slightly more interesting, but it´s still relatively organic sounding and I particularly enjoy how it´s clearly audible that the guitars are played by two different guitarists, and that the guitars are produced with a "human" touch. The album is overall well produced.

The material on the 9 track, 43:26 minutes long album is generally well written and memorable. I could have wished for slightly more variation between tracks, but it´s not a major issue. One of the tracks which does stand out from the rest of the material, is the instrumental classically influenced "Appassionata". Upon conclusion it´s another quality release by Exmortus and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

adg211288 Ride Forth (2016) is the fourth full-length album by US thrash metal act Exmortus. The band previously caught my attention with their previous effort Slave to the Sword (2014); an excellent thrash metal effort that had a strong footing in both the power metal and neoclassical metal camps.

This time around though the Exmortus sound has evolved to greatly favour their neoclassical element, which I’d say is the dominant sound on Ride Forth. There is still some thrash here, but I have great difficulty considering this to be a thrash metal album (especially a technical thrash metal album which is Exmortus’ usual niche). The riffs are fast paced but overall more in line with power/speed metal, a feeling only enhanced by how melodic the album is. Thrash metal implies a level of raw abrasiveness that musically Ride Forth severely lacks. The vocals are growled (yet intelligible), but that nods more towards melodic death metal, or more aptly extreme power metal (which contrary to popular belief is not what Dragonforce play), to my ears.

Of course having heard Slave to the Sword previously this all just seems like a natural progression of the band’s sound. Exmortus are pretty damn good at writing an awesome neoclassical guitar lead. Overall though, I have to say that I don’t find Ride Forth to be an as interesting album as Slave to the Sword. It’s a good well crafted release from the US band but it doesn’t have me clambering for more nor overly interested in giving it many re-listens down the line. I find that the opening track Speed of the Strike really hits its mark in terms of making the record’s new direction felt, but once you get a few tracks in the album starts to sound a bit business as usual. The instrumental Appassionata is insanely awesome though, also a clear highlight of the album.

While I do have to concede that Ride Forth is a step back for Exmortus I don’t actually feel let down by this album. I think it’s great that Exmortus choose to try something a little differently with the influences I heard on Slave to the Sword. It shows that they’re not a one trick pony who are content to make a carbon copy of their previous work, which of course means that there’s every chance that those who didn’t enjoy Slave to the Sword as much as I did will in turn enjoy Ride Forth more than I have. It takes all kinds after all.

UMUR "Slave to the Sword" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US power/thrash metal act Exmortus. The album was released through Prosthetic Records in February 2014. Exmortus was formed in 2003 and released several demos and a couple of EPs before releasing their debut full-length studio album "In Hatred's Flame (2008)".

The music on "Slave to the Sword" is a mix of thrash, power and traditional heavy metal. Add to that a very strong neo-classical element and you´re halfway there. The riffs are often hard edged thrash metal riffing and the raw distorted vocals also point in that direction, but the power metal element is equally strong. The traditional heavy metal element is mostly due to the lyrics and image of the band. Songtitles like "Warrior of the Night", "Battle-Born" and especially "Metal Is King" should also give an indication of the "true metal" lyrical themes.

The music is guitar focused, with loads of neo-classical influenced solos and themes (most prominently featured on the instrumental "Moonlight Sonata (Act 3)"), usually played at the speed of light. This is generally very fast-paced music featuring a great energy level. The band are incredibly tight and some of the guitar trickeries are jaw drop inducing. It´s not often I´m completely blown away by the technical skills of metal musicians these days, but these guys are fantastic in that respect.

"Slave to the Sword" is well produced too, featuring a clear and powerful sound production, which suits the music well, and all in all this is a high quality release by Exmortus. Besides the very high level musicianship, which is a great asset, it´s how the band combine the stylistic elements that´s the real attraction here. As such you´ll find little here you haven´t heard before, but the combination of the elements is a bit surprising and ultimately proves to be a pretty fresh approach. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

adg211288 Slave to the Sword (2014) is the third full-length album by US technical thrash metal act Exmortus. Although Exmortus seems to generally be considered to be based around the death-thrash format, there isn't really much to do with death metal about Slave to the Sword, except perhaps the nod brief nod towards the genre. This is my first time listening to them so I can't say whether the classification is off or whether the band has started exploring new territories within their thrash metal sound, but Slave to the Sword is very clearly more of a power-thrash album.

In fact, power metal is the first genre that is heard when the album opens up with Rising, but it soon descends into thrash metal riffs and the vocals are most definitely orientated more towards a thrash metal sound. I guess the riffs themselves would be 60-40 in favour of thrash metal, but due to how often the riffs are power metal based, and how melodic the album is for a thrash album, it would be wrong to just call it thrash metal. The band also include some neoclassical influences in their guitar leads in many places, notably during the instrumental Moonlight Sonata (Act 3), but also across the album in smaller amounts, adding further variation to their technical playing. When I think power-thrash, the sound of Slave to the Sword's instrumental work is exactly what I look for, although the neoclassical elements are a bonus extra that works well for the band. It's just the right blend of thrash and melodic power metal riffs to have the best of both worlds.

Where the album loses some of its momentum however is the vocal performance, which is done in a harsh style which generally works well enough for the most thrash metal orientated passages of Slave to the Sword's music, but isn't so effective during the power and neoclassical metal parts, sometimes even coming across as irritating and overly forced. The actual problem though is more that Slave to the Sword is far too melodic an album to really benefit from the vocal approach used. Sure, there are certainly moments where Exmortus make it work really well, but most of the time the vocals are just tolerable.

Good music needs a commanding voice to bring the best out of it, but Slave to the Sword is having to make do with what it's got. This is a shame, because Exmortus otherwise have all the makings of a power-thrash masterpiece here, but its testament to the other abundant qualities of the album that it's still worth a rating within the 4.5 stars bracket.

87/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/exmortus-slave-to-the-sword-t3336.html)