In Hatred's Flame

We've all been there, at least once: a band strikes absolute gold with an album, then inevitably fails to recapture whatever made it so great, as if not even they themselves were sure how they did it in the first place. Lightning in a Bottle aims to cover those (usually debut) albums that turned out to be one-time feats for their respective bands.

We all hate when that happens, right? You find an album that ticks all the right boxes for you, only to later discover that everything else the band did after (or even before) just does nothing for you. And though I began to find several examples in my library, enough to start my first, and likely only, mini-series about it (of undefined duration, for the time being), I couldn't really help but open it with the most egregious example I can name off the top of my head: Exmortus and their debut LP In Hatred's Flame. A debut album is always a magical place where a band gathers its best strengths, skills and, most of all, songs after a certain number of years spent in the local scene, making shows and releasing demos. In Hatred's Flame is all that and then some, given the huge potential displayed by the ambitious guys already in their early years. In a certain way, it's unique not only for the Exmortus' discography, but also for the whole metal scene. Hellish thrash/death metal with neoclassical shredding all in one? Consider me interested!

Based on this premises, In Hatred's Flame by all means looks like one of those flashy albums where everything is constantly thrown at you and it's all style and no substance, and it would sound exactly like that except for the fact that it has, you know, a whole lot of substance. I don't know if it's all these flames in the title, flames on the cover, flames here, flames there that have conditioned me since I first caught sight of the artwork, but the atmosphere is incendiary, and the certainly not polished production actually enhances that impression with a little extra sulphur. The ear-catching feature is obviously the leadwork, courtesy of the frontmen Conan and Balmore. With more than one solo exceeding one full minute in length, some may start to get redundant but when they get it right... oh boy. Seriously, I always adore when a band places a tempo change right in the middle of a solo, but 'Triumph by Fire' is basically that technique perfected and unsurpassable, with even that famous neo-classical lick masterfully leading the transition between its two parts. I can probably name a lot of bands that couldn't keep me interested for more time than the cumulative amount I spent replaying that solo alone. Boner-worthy material.

Make no mistake though, the riffwork is no slouch either. Granted, the album tries a lot of things and the initial triplet of tracks show it quite clearly, but even the more 'conventional' tracks succeed, being basically your average re-thrash tunes under the influence of a massive dose of Exmortus steroids. 'Onward to Battle' and 'Onslaught' are the obvious examples of this and, needless to say, they will establish a close relationship with your neck... a painful, if rewarding, one.

Really, the only downside I see, and it has arguably a lot to do with the fact that I'm not a musician, is that I usually find myself skipping the instrumental track, 'Axes of War'. I have few doubts that it would be orgasmic to see Conan and Balmore playing it right before your eyes, but I view it as the only moment on In Hatred's Flame that lets self-indulgence take a front seat, and the whole front row altogether. It's especially unfortunate when taking into account that it's basically an enhanced version of a Coroner instrumental (I think specifically of 'Arc-Lite', but with less dynamics), so I should love it to death, but alas (or, better... thank God), math doesn't work in this field. Luckily, the album more than bounces back to huge heights with the two closing tracks – 'Wrath of Vengeance' and, especially, 'Fimbulwinter' – both masterpieces of their own kind.

Comparisons? Now that's a hard question. They occasionally remind me of a thrashier and more battle-oriented The Crown, but that's probably more due to all the speed limits they constantly break than for actual similarities in sound; although the largely unorthodox drumming of Mario Moreno is probably one of the few I can name able to rival Janne Saarenpää's crazed playing. Interestingly, some passages (i.e. 'War Gods') are reminiscent more of old-school melodeath (Hypocrisy, At the Gates) than typical thrash. Beneath the lava-oozing guitars rumbles a bass constantly afraid of remaining on the background for too long, even if newcomer Daniel Duarte finds a lone solo spot, but a quality one, introducing 'Valor and Might'. Rounding off this hostile landscape are vocals residing somewhere between Chance Garnette, Joel Grind, and a more extreme version of what Andre Hartoonian exhibited, not without disappointment, on Being and Nothingness. They don't steal the scene here but hey, not that any of us expected, nor hoped, for it, I guess.

So, yay!, everything neat and exciting! But what about everything that followed?

Exmortus are now at their 5th album and yet, as crazy as it may seem, none ever approached the gloriousness of In Hatred's Flame. Admittedly, they didn't help themselves by following it with the controversial Beyond the Fall of Time, which however arguably laid the rails for the following of their career. Said album showed a polished, sterile production job, toned down riffing and, above all, worsened vocals (due to the loss of Balmore), with some embarrassing falsetto screams thrown randomly on top of it. You could kinda sum up all of it by saying that they were starting to restrain their early, deliciously chaotic hybrid within more conventional boundaries, and it already sounds like a failure. Still, Exmortus had, since then, decided to discard even the few death influences left on the sophomore (read: the best things going for it), opting to sacrifice a sound that was unmistakably theirs and becoming more of a thrashy b-tier Skeletonwitch clone (a band that I'm already not exactly fond of) with the occasional Malmsteen-inspired moment of wizardry here and there. Note that their later albums are not necessarily *bad* – rather just thought for different fans (as confirmed by the fact that nobody who reviewed this album ever took the time to write wonders about any of the others).

So, in short, another album like In Hatred's Flame will never be done, in all likelihood. But, on the upside, it's still a monstruous album and it hasn't lost an iota of brilliance even after many years and listens. What more can you ask for?

(Fun fact: before this album, Balmore was in charge of the 4-strings, with Artak Tavaratsyan of Hexen fame teaming up on guitars with Conan. If that wasn't the definitive modern thrash lineup...)

This is not perfect, but it is still an excellent example of what youth and energy and enthusiasm can do for music. Exmortus are still in their teens, and it shows in both good and bad ways here on this album.

First the bad, to get that out of the way. Their drummer comes unglued here and there and the tightness of the band suffers for it, and while it's not constant, it happens enough that it's noticeable. The writing, while impressive for a band so young and inexperienced, gets a bit repetitive throughout and the constant shred assault gets numbing in large doses, though they're nowhere near as bad about it as DragonForce are. At least they have some song structure and don't spend 5 minutes in every song shredding away mindlessly like DF are guilty of doing regularly. The production could also have been a lot better, as the overall sound of the album is weak and thin, with obviously triggered drums, and this sucks a lot of power out of their sound. Give these boys a better production job! That's about as bad as it gets here, now to get to the good parts.

First of all, while the shredding does get numbing in large doses, as mentioned, it still is nice to hear a band stepping up to the plate and letting loose in vigorous style. The energy level on this album is high all the way from start to finish, with lots of tempo changes and dynamics to go with the instrumental prowess, making the song structures fairly complex yet catchy, founded on good riffing as well as shredtastic twiddling.

Balmore's vocals are more death metal in style, a tortured upper midrange growl/shriek that adds more character to the band's sound, letting out frequent prolonged, fearsome screams, and it bears mentioning that this is far from standard issue retro/happy thrash Exodus worship like most new school thrash bands are these days; this is more a cross section of modern "melo-death" with more classic thrash and metal styles, and it comes out sounding much more distinct than most bands are in the field these days. There is even a pronounced Iron Maiden vibe in songs like "Valor and Might", with its Steve Harris-like bass intro, and I can hear a distinct Behemoth vibe in the sliding riff at the beginning of "War Gods". Exmortus have far more character than more bands in this field do, and this is one reason I feel that they bear watching as time goes by.

Did I mention these guys can wail? Konan and Balmore both toss stunning leads back and forth over the album's duration with amazing energy and style, making the guys in DragonForce sound like the mindless wankers they are especially since they know even at their young age when to rein it in and get back to the riffing. Mario's drumming, despite the tightness issues and the weak drum sound, is still exciting and creative, with lots of energetic fills and different beats changing up things without being too grandstanding. "Valor and Might" is a good example of this, starting with tom tom work and leading into a propulsive mid tempo. The title track is especially potent, with staggering leads and high speed thrashing grabbing you and shaking you hard to get your attention.

Give these kids time and they will progress into a truly impressive and powerful force in the scene. They've potential to spare, and at the rate they're going the only direction for them is upward. Give them the chance to grow into their sound and style more, and we will see great things coming from them, I predict. Oh, and give them a proper production job next time around, for crying out loud! With a heavier guitar sound and a more pronounced bass presence, as well as a better drum sound, this would have sounded far better. Again, give them time and let us see where this goes from here, since this is indeed a promising beginning for these guys.

And what a delicious soup we get! In Hatred's Flame is essentially ruthlessness defined, and so far stands as a prime contender for the "Best of 2008" award. The combination of modern thrash, melodic death metal, and Bodomesque wankery all meld into one cohesive and overwhelmingly impressive whole. The three styles mentioned above seem to be scorned and looked down upon in a lot of high profile metal circles, but believe me when I say that the sheer mercilessness of the record and masterful cohesion turn the three lumps of coal into one big sparkling diamond.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that nearly 60% of the record is dominated by constant fretboard wizardry and extremely fast melodic lead work. All of the riffs here are a top notch blend of Swedish melodic death and Germanic thrash metal, and a complex harmony is almost always layered across the top, making for a never ending showcase of over the top musicianship and unrelenting intensity. And the best part about that is the fact that the band never comes off as merely a collection of music instructors battling to grasp the listeners attention with unending frills and technique. They instead combine themselves into one giant being; all of the Zords were cool and unique, but they meant jack shit until they made the Megazord. And with the strength of a giant mechanized war machine and the heart of the five young saviors of Angel Grove (the enormous mutant attack capitol of the world), Exmortus proceeds to relentlessly murder Goldar over and over and over again, each way more fanciful and choreographed than the last, but never losing it's savage edge that comes naturally with the form... Excuse me while I go throw myself down a flight of stairs for that analogy.

I usually find vast amounts of praise purely for the melding of styles, regardless of quality, to be foolish, so keep in mind that it takes one hell of an effort to truly win me over if a band tries to play that card. Understandably, most seasoned metalheads would be weary when hearing about an extreme melding of neoclassical shredmeister wankage with Swedish melodeath and thrash, a horse whose carcass I thought was decayed and eviscerated to the point that there was in fact no meat left to beat (pardon the innuendo). When these four Californian thrashers discovered the corpse, they indeed beat the dead horse, but they beat it with such determination and in such a maniacally stylish manner that one can't help but stare in bewilderment at the spectacle. Take, for example, the track Axes of War. In these three minutes and fifteen seconds, there are roughly seven thousand different diminished arpeggio sweeps, fourteen tapping solos, eighty five and a half harmonized shreds, and ninety one riffs underneath. They leave no room for doubt when it comes to their technical skill, and listening to any five second snippet of any song is essentially definitive proof. And for all of the noodles the two guitarists bring to the goulash, there is just as much meat in the pot to back it all up and provide a solid, nutritious backbone. The rhythm section is extremely solid and tight, consisting of a bassist who is content to sit in the background and support the riffage (save for his a capella intro to Valor and Might and quick run in Fimbulwinter) and a drummer that sports a wide array of techniques and flair, but doesn't feel the compulsive urge to tear out a tom fill every six nanoseconds (a trend that initially impressed me, but quickly grew tiring).

Most of the songs are formulaic and somewhat predictable in structure, but the actual riff writing is surprisingly creative for such a young band. The opening riff to Storms is a good example. It's a fairly simple tremolo riff played at an extremely high tempo, but the note changes are actually somewhat unconventional and unpredictable. It seems like a stupid thing to notice, let alone praise, but I used to write myself, so I'm somewhat inclined to notice subtle nuances like off time riff changes and countermelodies and such. And that is one of the reasons I hold so much respect for this album, it's a new take on an established style, energizing a stagnant genre in a way that only happens once every few years. There is probably one album with the energy and vision like this for every six hundred Slaughter of the Soul ripoffs we hear, and I haven't been this blown away by a melodic death metal release since Arsis' debut four years prior. It's a nearly unending aural assault of relentless technicality and unmeasurable charm. Even minor pratfalls like the vocalist's mediocrity and predictable song structure seem even smaller when surrounded by the sheer energy and intensity that the disc exudes.

I can only dribble so much before I become what I criticize. I bought this album months ago and my kiddish enthusiasm for it has yet to subside; even after tens of dozens of spins, the astonishment has yet to wear off. These kids make you believe in them. They didn't write a handful of songs that were in sync with the current trends and accepted measures of mediocre brutality. They didn't decide that Suffocation was the greatest band ever and become their umpteenth clone, nor did they do the same with At the Gates/In Flames. They didn't take the paths that so many other young'uns have decided to take in order for a quick and easy fifteen minutes of fame. They instead recorded eleven of the most intense, merciless, and technical tracks they could, then mooned every last band that tried what they did and failed. They said "To hell with stop start riffing! To hell with high and low alternating growls! To hell with breakdowns! We have come to destroy! We have come to double bass your girlfriends into spontaneous orgasm and shit on your dog while shredding out 320 bpm tapping solos while keg standing on your keg! That's how we roll, now make Exmortus some fuckin' sammiches you cunt."

First of all, let me just point out that this is not the Bay Area inspired thrash metal that some of the reviewers perceive it to be. No, this album is actually a great blend of death metal, melodic death metal and thrash metal. That said, this album is probably more melodic death metal than it is thrash metal. Still confused? Well this is how I would describe this album. Take At The Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, replace the simplicity with technicality, make the music more brutal, throw in some complex song structures and some great “over the top” solos as the icing on the cake.

Speaking of solos, this album has truckloads of great solos. And the best part is that the solos show great variety. You have the crazy DragonForce-esque shredding in Triumph By Fire, the insane and incoherent solo in the title track... and the list just goes on.

While the guitar solos show some great variety, the actual music doesn't. All the songs actually follow the same traditional melodic death metal structure that was laid out by At The Gates in Slaughter of the Soul. Fast verses and catchy choruses. But what separates Exmortus from the legions of mediocre melodeath bands is that Exmortus actually try their hardest to bring as much variety as they can in the song structures. They try everything from extending the second chorus a bit to incorporating guitar solos in between the verses. The band deserves respect for trying their hardest to make themselves stand out from their peers.

So what about the songs? Well the first seven tracks in this album all kick major ass. ESPECIALLY the title track. Triumph By Fire is a lot like the title track, but it has a great guitar solo section which I already mentioned earlier in this review. War Gods and Onwards to Battle are in the same vein as the previous two tracks but lack the ferocity that was present in the first two tracks. But don't let my words fool you, they are still quite good tracks. Valor of Might is a really cool track and perhaps the most different track from the album. It has an epic Iron Maiden feel to it, which is cool. Axes of War is a nice little instrumental, but the album starts to become redundant at this point and its best that you eject the CD after this track ends because the songs after it are really boring to be honest.

So anyways, its a nice album which could have been better if the last four tracks weren't complete filler. The good outweighs the bad, though, and the album is good enough to get a 75% rating.

Exmortus, In Hatred's Flame.

'Nuff said. Now get this shit. Immediately. Like right the fuck now. NOW!

But seriously, this is a WICKED album, to say the least (and then even less than that). Like, I was just online surfing the web (that sounds so lame post-90s) and I just stumbled across the album cover for these guys. I just looked them up and figured "what the hell, why not?" After downloading it, I could not believe it was as good as it was. I'm not huge into that Swedish melo-death stuff, but I fucking LOVE thrash, and these guys just thrash the FUCK out of this album and I can't get enough.

The vocals are just sort of a midrange, gutteral death metal vocal delivery. It's not super "br00tal", but it's not that annoyingly raspy shit we got rid of with the 80's. It's right in the middle, and the guy knows how to enunciate. I found myself singing along to War Gods on my first listen without the lyrics on hand.

The guitars are just intense. The riffing is flat out THRASH. Think Exodus, Nuclear Assault, Slayer, stuff like that (minus the suck of some of Slayer's stuff). It's just that super fast, chugging, breakneck style riffing. And then the lead work comes in. Usually I'm opposed to people soloing too much, especially when it's just to show off their skills (DragonForce), but the way it's done on this album is so over the top that it's actually tasteful. Like, everything is good with cheese, right? It's like you're eating this amazing taco, but there's no cheese. So then you dump a shit ton of cheese on it, more than any sane person would, and now it's twice as good. That's kind of what the solos are for these songs. Just some awesome cheese to make everything better. The guy hardly ever takes a break from sweep picking, but when he does, it's just to rip some awesome shred metal styled soloing. I mean, fuck, he is RELENTLESS!

I hate to comment on the bass because there's never a whole lot to say, but I mean, it's THERE and the song Valor and Might even starts out with a bass riff. I wish it was mixed in a bit higher because it's good, but that song seems to be the only one with the bass mixed in more prominantly. The rest have it mixed down a bit more, but that doesn't really detract from the overall awesomeness of the album.

The drumming is super fast with some amazing blast-beats and it's technical as hell. I mean, this guy is always doing something. It's like he has drumming ADD. He'll be going and going and get bored 10 seconds in and just HAVE to stick in a fill or something out of nowhere before proceeding again, or perhaps completely changing what he was previously playing. The drums are a real joy to listen to.

As a whole, this band basically says "FUCK YOU" to every other release of 2008. They kick the shit out of Amon Amarth's new album, which is dissappointing since Amon Amarth just churned out another of the same whereas these guys did their own shit, different from what most bands are doing these days, and fucking destroyed with it. If you get one album in '08, make it THIS one.

Every few years, we are blessed by a metal album so fast, so furious, so absurdly metal that one simply cannot help but be amazed and muse as to how and whether another could ever possibly takes its place; an album so utterly scrumtralescent as to transcend musicality (and seemingly, logical reality) altogether. Yet, here it is, real as any; mentally and aurally stimulating whilst simultaneously wrecking the fuck out of your neck as you bang yourself shitless. Gore and grey matter spew from your ears as your neck’s gyrations become so obscenely forceful as to increase the Gs from 1 to 100, thereby rendering further sensory reception impossible.

…I won’t lie; this isn’t one of those albums. But, it’s pretty damn close, and you would be a fool to pass this up.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the band, then you’d know that while this is a full-length release, it includes 7 re-recorded songs from their EP of last year with the same title (after being signed, Heavy Artillery wanted a LP out as quickly as possible, hence only 2 new songs [2 others are old songs re-recorded/-lyricized]), so it isn’t chock full of new material. Regardless, that does not make it any less worth purchasing. This time around, ExMortus have, for the first time, finally released their printed lyrics (copyright issues prevented this), which are metal enough to make Manowar weep in jealousy (with the occasional—albeit less conspicuous—, nod to Immortal) at times. The album art has been completely reworked as well, and for the better, might I add, and that’s saying something as the old cover was fairly well done.

As for the music, little needs to be said. Providing you’ve heard the EP, virtually nothing has changed (and if you haven’t, just go read those reviews; there is no need to repeat myself); same songs, same speeds, same solos, same screams. In fact, the biggest change made to the songs is in the production, but I’ll get to that later. Moving on to the songs.

The two re-recorded/-lyricized songs are “Valor and Might” and “Onslaught,” which were previously titled “Kingdom of Shadows“ and “Stigmata,“ respectively. The lyrics were changed (according to the band) for several reasons: to prevent enmity between former band member, singer, and lyricist Shiloh (aka Norrath); replaced by more developed, well-written lyrics; lack of rhythm/vocal pattern.

“Valor and Might“ brings the integrity of the band into question. While I have no conclusive proof of this, I believe the song may actually be stolen from the vault of lost Maiden tunes. The galloping bass lines, riffs, solos; all so heavily influenced by Maiden you’d think they wrote it themselves. The harsh vocals are the only thing about this song that don’t scream (no pun intended) Iron Fucking Maiden. And what a song it is! From the second Daniel kicks in with his almost whimsical bass playing that makes you want to wear a tunic and bounce around like that freak from the “Berries and Cream” Starburst commercial, this track is destined for mouth-watering deliciousness. Definitely one of the best songs on the album, and old fans will rejoice and sing praises to ExMortus upon hearing this glorious track has made a triumphant return.

Personally, “Onslaught” is the closest this album comes to filler. Don’t take that the wrong way though; this simply means that I happen to find the song less memorable than the others, which places it no lower than 8/10, for comparison’s sake. It’s like complaining about getting prime rib after you just had 7 perfectly cooked and seasoned cuts of filet mignon. A song that is plenty good in its own right, I just find it slightly overshadowed by most of the other songs on the album.

“Wealth of Vengeance” is the first of the new songs and is essentially more of the same, although that is in no way a bad, or even less then very good, but “Fimbulwinter” is what I’d prefer to discuss.

“Fimbulwinter” is fairly different from the other tracks and definitely took some time to grow on me. When I first heard it, I wasn’t such a fan. Of all the tracks, this one is the most musically influenced by Immortal. In contrast to the other songs, this one is probably the least dynamic. Not so many crazy riffs thrown about for the sake of making sure someone’s neck is broken in the listening process. There isn’t a cunt-ripping dick-smashing solo around every bend. This song is much more to the point. It feels a little different from the others; a bit more structured. The solos don’t noodle on until the end of eternity and the riffs are more consistent, although it seems they traded a bigger sting for a smaller punch. Take that as you will. It’s a quality song, but if you don’t like it as much as the others at first, just give it some time before condemning it.

Here are a few other key points of interest which I chose not to mention, as one sentence per is more than sufficient:
-“Storms” is the shortest, fastest (non-instrumental), and my favorite.
-“Axes of War” is fucking insane.
-“Glory on the Battlefield” has one of the greatest opening riffs ever.

I feel like goddamn Crazy Gideon wanting to give another ExMortus release 100%, but I’ll refrain. This in turn means I must find something to gripe about. Minor as it is, the production is SLIGHTLY worse than the EP. On the EP, every instrument was perfectly distinct and crisp at all times. This time, it seems the dynamics have been muddied a bit, so everything just blends together a little more. I almost feel bad for taking points off for this since it’s such a small issue, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many people wouldn’t even catch it if it weren’t for my stating, but it is there, and I feel it would be an injustice to keep everyone uninformed. This means that every song present on both the EP and LP is of an infinitesimally reduced quality, and it would be unfair to give this album a perfect score. As such, a 90% should suffice.

2008 has been a good year to metal. With thrash being at the crest of the newest wave of metal re-popularity, we’ve gotten some pretty solid albums. Fellow SoCal metal mates Warbringer and Bonded by Blood have helped move things along and set a new standard for modern thrash. Poseur ass Mexicans or not, these guys can play, but more importantly, they can write. Perhaps a premature statement, but unless Heathen releases their CD before January 1st, this is likely to be thrash album of the year. Buy it now.

[Score reduced to 90 following re-evaluation of rating system.]