EXMORTUS

In Hatred's Flame

Heavy Artillery
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. In Hatred's Flame
02. Triumph by Fire
03. War Gods
04. Onward to Battle
05. Valor and Might
06. Ares of War
07. Glory on the Battlefield
08. Onslaught
09. Storms
10. Wrath of Vengeance
11. Fimbulwinter


Thrash bastion Heavy Artillery has already released two monster metal albums this year, the first, MERCILESS DEATH's "Realm of Terror", and now "In Hatred's Flame" by California's EXMORTUS. The album is a re-release of the band's self-released disc of the same name, remixed and remastered with four additional tracks and new artwork. The sheer amount of pure, quality metal on "In Hatred's Flame" is staggering, coming at you in waves, like a full scale, pre-dawn raid on an Al Qaeda compound in Afghanistan. Frighteningly aggressive thrash metal blended with both death metal and NWOBHM bluster is the order of the day and yet another reason why any metal fan with any sense at all should check out the Heavy Artillery arsenal of bands.

The first spin of "In Hatred's Flame" is guaranteed to knock the wind out of the listener. As cliché as it may sound, there is just so much metal going on here that it takes a second and third listen to really appreciate the songwriting and the phenomenal musicianship, especially the insane shredding of guitarists Conan (lead/rhythm) and Balmore (rhythm/lead, vocals). Coupled with the speed-killing pace of these songs, the fretboard heroics are straight out of the '80s NWOBHM songbook with modern touches; something along the lines of HELLOWEEN-meets-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN. In fact, "Ares of War" is a supreme instrumental firestorm of riffs and solos that would not have been out of place on an early MALMSTEEN album, albeit with a heavier thrash treatment. The best part about the soloing is it is technically proficient and melodic, the kind of solos that one looks forward to hearing, as opposed to merely serving as a self-indulgent break before the next verse hits.

The death metal tinges are mainly attributable to the harsh vocals of Balmore and a general viciousness, in some ways similar to ARES KINGDOM's brand of thrash. The key here is balancing the unbridled aggression and lead guitar firepower with good songwriting and classic heavy metal exuberance. The combination works exceedingly well on the triumphant "War Gods" and the IRON MAIDEN-influenced "Valor and Might", a true metal anthem and arguably the album's best track.

This one is a ripper, folks. Here's to hoping that pure metal albums like "In Hatred's Flame" continue to be released for years to come. The global heavy metal community needs it.

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).