Exmortus returns after four years.
Formed in 2002 in the USA, the band led by Jadran « Conan » Gonzalez (guitar/vocals, The Fae) and completed by Phillip Nuñez (bass, Fossilized), Adrian Aguilar (drums, live for Vio-lence) and Chase Becker (guitar, Warbringer) signed with Nuclear Blast in 2023 for the release of Necrophony, their sixth album.
Masquerade kicks off the album with its gentle melodic approach, but the sound soon darkens, and sharp harmonics multiply under the steady pounding before Mask of Red Death provides the energetic touch, followed by raw vocal parts. The complex patterns are a perfect match for the band’s aggression, as they let their unbridled Thrash and Death influences slow down for more majestic elements, as on Oathbreaker, which skilfully combines furious rhythmics with scathing melodies. The numerous lead parts testify to the musicians’ mastery, as on the relentless Mind of Metal, which easily links fast riffs with heavier, impressive parts from which melodies emerge, before indulging in obvious Neoclassical influences on Storm of Strings, an exclusively instrumental composition which develops epic and worked sonorities. The raucous vocals return with Test of Time and its suffocating darkness, which the band brilliantly combines with its bloody riffs to accentuate the oppression, while the long Darkest of Knights offers a completely different approach, giving great freedom to the bass, which does much more than simply accompany the rhythm. The band doesn’t shy away from letting the guitars twirl for quite a while, before moving on to the last part of the track, which takes us to Prophecy and its catchy Old School roots. The solo remains heady, as does the final section, which ceases to make way for Children of the Night and its dark Gothic influences, which naturally blend with the rage the band cultivates, as well as the abundant epic lead parts. The group returns to pure aggression with Beyond the Grave, featuring energetic and devastating patterns, before offering us a new instrumental interlude called Overture, anchored in a disquieting melancholy. Necrophony is a kind of transition between the wildest elements and the most elaborate parts, where the guitars compete to carry us away in their melodious hurricane, then Moonchild, the last track, adopts heavy accents and unexpected clear vocals to pay homage to the legendary Iron Maiden, and to this track released thirty-five years ago, in 1988.
With Necrophony, Exmortus skillfully demonstrate their ability to create both short, incisive tracks and long, intricate, heady symphonies, using every instrument to keep us on the edge of our seats.
90/100