Exhorder "Slaughter In The Vatican" (1990)

Reminded of thee band who helped shape Pantera's sound, it was time to revisit an old record I only knew of briefly upon learning about their influence on fellow southern metallers. Released later in the year than Cowboy's From Hell, the claim to originality, in terms of a Groove Metal style and the Phil Anselmo singing vernacular, lies within Exhorder's late 80s demos. At that time, the Abbott brothers were living out Kiss inspired fantasies in the local scene, with self produced Glam Metal records.

Slaughter In The Vatican is not the killer blow to Pantera's genius. Having studied its form, this is clearly an "of the time" hybrid of Death and Thrash Metal, pulling a few cunning ideas along for the ride. Its hard aesthetic, a dulled battering of low end guitar tone and clicky percussion is a pale aggression tiring from a lack of aesthetic vibrancy to spice its metallic rhythmic chops. On first gasp, quite the beast, lunging in hard with guitar grinds and drums bordering on blast beats, but the brutality lacks endurance. Its tone quickly narrows as the keen distinctions in groove are lost among an endless stream of atypical extremities lacking catchy hooks and memorable songs.

Its best song could just be Desecrator. Weathering the storm with its better riffs, it concludes with a dazzlingly lean and dark, swiftly osculating riff I'm sure Pantera have lifted somewhere in their later discography. Moments of distinction like this are far and few between. Not to dwell on comparisons but the point would be this, Slaughter In The Vatican is a rather typical record for the broader extreme music scene. Although a fun spin, on all fronts it lacks a spark to become spectacular despite its competence.

Rating: 6/10

Exhorder "Mourn The Southern Skies" (2019)

 

If anyone had a claim on Pantera's era defining sound, these neighboring Louisiana's had the framework for a new metallic approach locked in years before Cowboys From Hell. Having disbanded in 94, I was shocked to hear them in rotation on Spotify with new material decades later. More so was the similarity to the "Phil Anselmo" breed of groovy Southern Metal. With a foggy memory I returned to Exhorder's debut, Slaughter In The Vatican. A brief reflective listen had me in awe. Kyle Thomas's cunning vernacular a blueprint for Anselmo to emulate. It's been quite the historical reminder and undoubtedly I'm gonna have to dive into those old records again.

Mourn The Southern Skies is a ripe affair. Reviving classic groove oriented, fist pumping power and might, the southern swagger scales atop fiery momentous. Kyle rides the waves of crushing guitars and battering drums with attitude as they burn through iterations on the arsenal of techniques accustom to this sound. Its secret weapon is quality. With little in the way of innovation, the band churn through sludgy stomping rhythmic grooves. Baked by southern humidity, it oozes style and persona. Guitar solos dazzle but unsurprisingly, can't charm like a Dimebag. Reasonable in theatrics, a couple leads take a more dynamic roll in musical direction, a niche touch.

 

A competent production aesthetic serves its purpose with a touch of rawness, possibly brought on by budget constraints. Exhorder have never been a big name in Metal. Its kind of remarkable to hear they have been sitting on such talent and inspiration. However this return has influences in reverse as the last twenty plus years of Groove Metal's legacy can be heard throughout. A great record but it can't claim originality this time out. Final thoughts? Listening to this record feels like stepping into an alternate reality given the back story. Looks like I'm adding nineties Metal to the playlist next!

Rating: 7/10