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Defectum Omnium

    
       
       
       
     
             
Exhorder are a thrash metal band from the USA formed in 1985, releasing four albums during a hiatus riddled, line-up changing forty year career - the bands four albums to date are 'Slaughter In The Vatican' (1990), 'The Law' (1992), 'Mourn The Southern Skies' (2019), and 'Defectum Omnium'...    
             
...released in 2024 featuring twelve songs across fifty five fairly fierce minutes featuring the bands legendary groove based and highly aggressive thrash metal style! With 'Defectum Omnium' - a Latin phrase meaning "the failure of all" - Exhorder deliver on all fronts, especially with regards to speed, aggression and pure heaviness. And don't forget groove too, the band firing on all cylinders as the album gets underway with 'Wrath Of Prophecies'...    
             
...Exhorder immediately into their stride, devouring the airways with tonnes of aggression and menace! It's been nearly five years since 'Mourn The Southern Skies' tore across the land, but for me it seems like only yesterday I was head banging furiously to it - and head bang furiously is exactly what I, and you, will be doing right now! For 'Wrath Of Prophecies' is so fucking infectious - the album storming on with the more mid tempo 'Under The Gaslight'. Just as heavy as the albums opener, 'Under The Gaslight' oozes much more groove, Exhorder stirring an incredible melodious intent into their brutally savage roots, 'Defectum Omnium' off to a blistering flyer! A flyer that strides on with the out and out speed of 'Forever And Beyond Despair', the band displaying a slight touch of the chaotic you'd normally get with punk music! Yea readers, that's right - punk! Exhorder have always pushed the envelope to its limits and beyond with regards to their musical horizons, 'Defectum Omnium' no different to previous releases, the band maintaining an innovative and fresh approach to thrash metal.    
             
And hitting the ground hard, 'The Tale Of Unsound Minds' is a ground shuddering foot stomper to send planet Earth spinning off its fucking axis, the band bringing a huge level of menace to the fore! Switching gears half way through, 'The Tale Of Unsound Minds' is gonna send the mosh pits into fucking overdrive, every mosher rocking their heads back and forth at a very high rate of knots! At just two and a half minutes in length, 'Divide And Conquer' is the shortest song on offer, yet still manages to pack an incredible punch! So much so, that every listener is gonna be slammed to the floor, 'Divide And Conquer' a rampant thrasher with immense power - and when only classic thrash metal will only do, Exhorder don't disappoint there either, 'Year Of The Goat' the fastest song heard so far! And by a very long way too, the band turning the energy levels way up to deliver a breath taking barrage of immensely head bang-able thrash. I just hope and pray you've got flexible neck muscles, for 'Year Of The Goat' is gonna test just how flexible they really are!    
             
Returning the mighty foot stomping style of thrash metal heard earlier, 'Taken By Flames' actually stomps even harder, the level of menace going through the fucking roof - as well as the pace too! The turn of speed at one and a half minutes in is simply jaw dropping, the band roaring down the freeway at twice the fucking speed limit! Not even the local traffic police can catch them, Exhorder moving faster than any law enforcement vehicle in existence. (Presumably) the title song 'Defectum Omnium/Stolen Hope' clocks in at over seven minutes in length making it the longest song on the album - and what a song! Everything the band have in their incredible arsenal is on show here, from a sinister sounding chant (in Latin I think), to a fire and brimstone barrage of weighty thrash, 'Defectum Omnium/Stolen Hope' oozing atmosphere and fear in abundance. There's also a menacing groove laden foot stomp within 'Defectum Omnium/Stolen Hope' that's gonna give everyone the willies, Exhorder delivering a level of fright that is overly, err, frightening! And by contrast, 'Three Stages Of Truth/Lacing The Well' begins very mellow, a veil of serenity descending upon the album as Exhorder stray outside of thrash metal territory for the first time! But not for too long though, 'Three Stages Of Truth/Lacing The Well' coming to life with incredible anger, sounding well and truly pissed off! The amount of aggression here is overwhelming, the band violently spitting venom through gritted teeth, darkening the skies with clouds of terror!    
             
And now for the new fastest song on offer, 'Sedition' setting a blistering pace as it hurtles across the land, taking in the sights and sounds of traditional heavy metal and punk along the way - the band spanning a number of musical genres to deliver a boundary breaking, genre hopping song that's gonna attract a very diverse array of listeners! And talking of diverse, the diversity on offer here, has also been incredibly wide, Exhorder not content to just travel the thrash metal highway - although 'Desensitized' does just that! 'Desensitized' is an out and out thrasher to send every mosh pit in the world fucking wild, a sea of heads all rocking back and forth in unison to a barnstorming barrage! And bringing a phenomenal album to a close, 'Your Six' returns the menacing foot stomping style of thrash metal to the fore once more, the band stomping harder than ever for 'Defectum Omnium's final hurrah. The ferocity, aggression and groove heard over the last fifty five minutes has been incredible, Exhorder delivering one of the best thrash metal albums this year.    
             
Overall, a barrage of savage thrash with amazing head bang ability, 'Defectum Omnium' is fist pumping thrash metal at its very best.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Mourn The Southern Skies      
           
"a glorious gallop of groove laden thrash metal, very heavy yet melodic, Exhorder have served up a feast of ferocious thrash" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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