I’m far from any sort of historian but I feel it’s safe to say that outside of the original sound of heavy metal itself, it’s thrash that has been one of the longest reigning styles of all of metal to have such high dominance in the genre and fanbase that’s still incredibly powerful to this day. It’s something that pretty much every single metalhead has been exposed to in some degree, and it’s thanks to the longevity of classics like Exumer that have been helping new bands keep the style alive and well to this very day. Then it’s albums like this that always keep us on our toes.

Speed and power are obvious keys to make thrash metal work, but it’s not something that every band can do well as it’s simply just something that varies from one band to the next. After going for over thirty years at this point, it’s no surprise that Exumer have found what works for them, and even though any number of their releases show that it’s with their newest, “Hostile Defiance”, that shows how much power and energy these guys still have after kicking around for so long. There are few thrash album that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing in recent months that have been able to come close to what “Hostile Defiance” has risen up here as it’s with these twelve ragers that we get absolutely pummeled over and over again as Exumer shows no mercy for the weak and takes every opportunity to devastate that they can. While there’s nothing new that Exumer brings to the classic formula of thrash, we see it perfected and honed in such a way that is all but delectable as each track has its own malicious nature that are all incredibly potent to the very end as we get everything great about the genre in massive swathes with “Hostile Defiance” time and again. There’s not much to not get into a frenzy over should you be into thrash as tracks like the title track, “King’s End”, “Dust Eater”, and “Vertical Violence” are some of the best cuts from genre even though the entirety of what Exumer has created here is far from anything to scoff at.

As I said, there haven’t been very many thrash records in recent months that have come close to “Hostile Defiance” for me as just about everything that could’ve been done right was executed with masterful accuracy every time. Exumer may not be a household name for thrash, but the quality doesn’t lie and the undeniable power is something that’s evidence of an act that are true masters of their craft, and it’s clear that Exumer is one of the few masters of thrash out there.

“Hostile Defiance” releases on April 5th via Metal Blade Records!

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