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EXUMER
“HOSTILE DEFIANCE”
Album Review by Iron Mathew
10/10
Exumer are a thrash metal band from Germany formed in 1985 who, along with bands such as Destruction, Sodom, Tankard and Kreator, pioneered the German thrash metal sound. With a thirty year plus career, Exumer have proved themselves a dynamic live act, releasing three demos, four studio albums and two compilations. Approaching thirty five years as a band, 2019 saw the release of their fifth studio album ‘Hostile Defiance’.
Sometimes, nope, make that most of the time, err nope, actually all of the time, you know when you get in a mood and the only thing to lift your spirits and ignite the inner you is some all out aggressive yet melodic thrash metal… Thrash the likes of Kreator, Testament, Destruction, Death Angel, Sodom, Flotsam And Jetsam and Exumer ooze in abundance… The fast pace, the aggression, the one punch short of outright brutality… Fuck yea, I can feel my adrenalin beginning to pump already, and my mouth froth at the anticipation of the new album from legendary thrashers Exumer. A band that has been around for as long as all the bands I mentioned earlier, although don’t have such a weighty back catalogue as them. Exumer are old school, and at times old school is the only kind of school you wanna be in. The bands fifth album is one hundred percent all out thrash, full of aggression, and with a couple of surprising twists in its tail, more about them later.
For now, ‘Hostile Defiance’ (the album), explodes into life like a massive incendiary device, spitting fire and flames in all directions as the title song ‘Hostile Defiance’ sets a blistering pace. Vicious, savage and brutal, ‘Hostile Defiance’ (the song) is an adrenaline pumping, mosh pit masterpiece. The up tempo, highly energetic and massively ferocious pace doesn’t let up as ‘Raptor’ flies in like a bird of prey attacking its prey – with deadly accuracy and force. Exumer, in the space of just two songs, have hit hard where it matters most, in my heart. Their brand of thrash is exciting, exhilarating and fucking brilliant. Pace quickens, head banging gets more vigorous and fists punch the air harder than ever, as ‘Carnage Rider’ threatens to demolish the world land speed record as it hurtles by at break neck speed. Neck muscles are gonna stretch further than Stretch Armstrong on a good day! Aggression and savagery doesn’t let up for a second as the album thunders on with ‘Dust Eater’, actually displaying a more melodic approach than anything heard so far. Addictive, catchy and infectious are all great words to describe the Exumer thrash metal sound. ‘King’s End’ now takes up the baton and races on faster than the speed of light, delivering a skull crushing, bone breaking, head smashing experience of the most savage nature. While many may now be on their way to the local A&E with severe bruising and a colossal concussion, metal stalwarts like myself are standing tall and screaming “is that all you’ve got”…and believe me when I say it isn’t. Exumer continue their vicious aural assault with ‘Descent’, delivering Thor-like hammer blows and an end of the world cataclysmic catastrophe.
My list of superlatives is running a little low right now, so bear with me for a moment while I complete a quick internet search… … …okay, I’m back. The torrent of thrash continues at a blinding pace with the scorching ‘Trapper’. An extremely vicious rampage, ‘Trapper’ cuts and thrusts with more force than a champion sword fighter, inflicting just as much pain and agony. Now not wanting to delve too far into the world of BDSM, but the pain and agony Exumer are dishing out is very pleasurable, and exciting at the same time too. The melodic edge to the Exumer sound returns to the album in full swing with the galloping gourmet offering ‘The Order Of Shadows’. If like me, you haven’t stopped head banging since the album began, you ain’t gonna stop yet. In fact, your head banging is gonna become more vigorous and violent, as ‘Vertical Violence’ delivers the most savage aggression the album has to offer. Faster than a bullet, faster than the speed of light, hell, even faster than the fastest thing ever known to man, ‘Vertical Violence’ is an almighty neck breaker of a song. I must be unfitter than I ever thought, as am feeling a little breathless right now, such has been the impact of ‘Hostile Defiance’, and there are still three songs to go… ‘Splinter’ begins the final trilogy in a ferocious furore, fast paced and highly energetic. The final two songs are the surprising twists in the tail, as they are both cover songs. The first is a thrash metallized version of a Scorpions classic, ‘He’s A Woman – She’s A Man’ from the German legends 1977 album ‘Taken By Force’. The second cover, and the final song on the album, is a barn storming cover of ‘Supposed To Rot’, by Swedish death metal band Entombed, from their 1990 debut album ‘Left Hand Path’. An amazing end to an amazing album.
Overall, a breath taking album of fast paced and aggression fuelled thrash that will leave you breathless, bruised and crushed, but in a good way.
TRACKLIST
Hostile Defiance
Raptor
Carnage Rider
Dust Eater
King’s End
Descent
Trapper
The Order Of Shadows
Vertical Violence
Splinter
He’s A Man – She’s A Woman (Scorpions cover)
Supposed To Rot (Entombed cover)
http://www.exumer.de/
https://www.facebook.com/exumerofficial
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