Exhorder - Defectum Omnium (2024)^{Release ID: 50691}

Exhorder, as all good thrash heads know, dropped the highly-regarded Slaughter in the Vatican way back in 1990, followed it up with The Law in '92 and then seemingly dropped off the face of the planet altogether. These two albums, however, lead to Exhorder, for better or for worse, being credited with inventing groove metal. As the band were big mates with Pantera, then this isn't too much of a stretch, although Exhorder's Kyle Thomas is quoted as saying that Pantera deserve all the praise for popularising the form as they worked much harder than his band. Now, in all honesty, I am not the biggest fan of groove metal and only a handful of albums have garnered any decent scores from me with Pantera in particular failing to resonate. So when Exhorder released the groove metal-oriented Mourn the Southern Skies upon their return in 2019 I wasn't particularly impressed, although there were plenty of commentators who took against it even more than myself, cursing it for not being Slaughter in the Vatican.

So here we are five years further down the road and Kyle Thomas and the guys are back with their post-return sophomore, Defectum Omnium, and this time they have long-time Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O'Brien on board. Now I don't know if I am just in a particularly good mood at the minute, or if this is a genuine improvement, possibly because of Pat's involvement, but actually this isn't half bad. A genuine energy and enthusiasm seems to ooze from every pore of this release, lighting a fire under the band and allowing them to turn in one of those late career successes that a select few bands are fortunate enough to produce. The album still sits nearer the groove end of the equation, but the riffs are so cool that their inherent grooviness in no way detracts from how absolutely badass they are, aided by a thick guitar tone that highlights their power.

There is also some decent variation in pacing with the surfeit of fast-paced aggressiveness countered by some slower, ominously hulking sections that preface even more fist-to-the-jaw sonic violence. The band are also unafraid to drop in a really catchy groove now and then, "Divide and Conquer" and "Taken by Flames" could both easily be released as singles, such is the catchiness of either track. Look, groove metal is never going to be a genre I salivate over and Defectum Omnium is probably not going to be in my top twenty albums of 2024, but respect where it is due, this has given me far more than I ever expected going into it and it's bloody-red-meat grooves have had me happily nodding along throughout the several listens I have given this so far. Definitely an album I can see me slamming on when I feel like a bit of no-nonsense metal riffing and memorable hooks might lighten up my day.

I am not the biggest fan of the seminal debut album from New Orlean's groove metallers Exhorder. Whilst filed firmly in the "overrated" pile of releases that seem to get undue praise, I still give it the odd spin now and again to make sure it is not just me being a dick (it isn't). Not to say that Exhorder are without their merits of course, just that I am easily put off by releases that promise so much but deliver so little - it is purely an expectations thing. It has been thirty-four years since Slaughter in the Vatican was released and Defectum Omnium is still only Exhorder's fourth full release ina career that spans nearly forty-years. In keeping with the debut, Defectum Omnium has some truly standout moments and at the same time, some other moments you hope to soon forget.

By far the strongest element here is those chunky, groovy riffs that blaze their presence across the surface of the record on many of the tracks here. Listening to the infectious riffing of Three Stages of Truth/Lacing the Well as I type this, I am reminded of PanterA and the many hours I spent with their albums as a teenager; the rolling riffs of Walk and I'm Broken being specific reminders I take from this record. Supported by a solid if never remarkable shift on the drum stool, the rhythm section of Exhorder put in a truly memorable effort. Unfortunately, the lead work leaves a lot to be desired. It is directionless and only serves to detract from some of the better tracks in particular. In fact, overall, the songwriting is not the best from a band who have been at this for four decades. They are trying to talk about all the right things you would expect a groove/thrash metal to; combining a punkish element in attitude at least in places. Yet, despite having relevant themes, they just come oue in a jumbled mess that sometimes gets translated by the structure of the songs but on so many other occasions fails to become barely legible really.

I do not know how many halfway decent groove metal records we should expect in 2024. I do not know how many we would expect per year over the last twenty years or so in fact. However, whilst Defectum Omnium most definitely does have its defects (could not resist) it is more of a disappointment than an absolute failure. There is power in the grooves here, a frantic pace to the more aggressive sections and a sense of a band still able to apply some relevance to themselves in an over-saturated sub-genre. A trim on the track numbers would certainly help and some more thought in the lead work is a must if there is to be another Exhorder album after this one. However, there is promise here, it just needs some space to develop into in without being compressed by sub-par and mediocre tracks and ideas.