EXHORDER's KYLE THOMAS: 'We Are No Longer Under Contract With A Label Right Now'

In a new interview with Brutal Planet Media, vocalist/guitarist Kyle Thomas of thrash and groove trailblazers EXHORDER spoke about a possible follow-up to the band's fourth full-length album, "Defectum Omnium", which came out in March 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. The 56-year-old New Orleans-based singer, who also fronts doom metal legends TROUBLE, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To be honest with you, we are no longer under contract with a label right now. We fulfilled our obligation to Nuclear Blast, and so we're kind of free agents right now. And we're not in a hurry [to sign with another label]. We've had some interest so far — some really good interest — that may surface down the line, but we're not in a hurry. We don't have an album ready to go yet, so we're just taking our time, making sure we make the right decision."

Kyle added: "The labels today are more of glorified distribution companies. They really don't develop artists like they used to."

Regarding why EXHORDER made the decision to reunite nine years ago after a six-year hiatus, Thomas said: "I think just the promise of seeing through unfinished business, and to be fair, the demand for it. We were approached by a management team that believed in the band and felt, like, 'You're crazy leaving this on the table. This could really work for you.' And as a result, here we are nine years later, and the band's bigger than it's ever been. So he was right. And it took some revolving door of people in the band coming and going. But as of right now, this core of this band is Jason VieBrooks [on bass] and myself [on vocals and guitar], with Pat O'Brien [on guitar] now in tow. So the three of us share a very similar vision. We're all very zen and business-wise linear with each other. So, [we're] friends that have a common goal in business, and it's working."

Drummer Sasha Horn left EXHORDER in March 2026 in order to "focus on his personal life". Temporarily replacing him on the road this past spring was Corey Pierce of GOD FORBID fame. A permanent replacement for Horn has not yet been announced.

Featuring 12 tracks and ominous cover artwork by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, OPETH),"Defectum Omnium" followed EXHORDER's critically revered 2019 release "Mourn The Southern Skies".

"Defectum Omnium" was recorded in part at Fat Track Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio with engineer Rob Nadler. The LP marked EXHORDER's first with former CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Pat O'Brien, who made his live debut with the latter group at the 2022 Maryland Deathfest.

The Maryland Deathfest gig took place three months after guitarist Marzi Montazeri left EXHORDER, explaining at the time in a statement that he "decided to no longer be a part of it."

Shortly after the Houston-based Montazeri announced his departure from EXHORDER, the remaining members of the band — Thomas, bassist Jason VieBrooks and Horn — said that they and Marzi had been "moving in different directions" and assured fans that they would "continue to thrive"

Thomas is now the sole remaining founding member of EXHORDER, which released its debut album, "Slaughter In The Vatican", way back in 1990. In February 2020, EXHORDER parted ways with its original guitarist Vinnie LaBella, who wrote much of the material on "Mourn The Southern Skies". The remaining members of the group later issued a statement saying that they would fulfill their "touring and recording obligations for 2020 and beyond."

EXHORDER released two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — the aforementioned "Slaughter In The Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.