It seems like I've been waiting forever for the new release from my favorite new Metal band. Granted Exmortus are not exactly new to the scene but it was their landmark release Slave To The Sword that more or less put them on the map. Upon seeing them perform live for the first time I immediately went out and bought the album, their shirt and signed up for the fan club.  

 

Their sophomore release for Prosthetic Records is titled Ride Forth and is as fitting a title as any for a band who are hell bent on pushing their neo-classical thrash mentality to the world at large. The ridiculously skilled twin guitar attack by shredders Jadran "Conan" Gonzalez and David Rivera is up front and in your face the entire time. From start to finish these guys don't let up for an instance. The album's first single and video comes via the merciless outpouring of "Relentless" and most assuredly lives up to its name. At least half of my WOW friends will surely find favor with "For The Horde" which follows through with a focused aggression that is more Metal than the Titanic had in its entire hull, no fucking iceberg could ever destroy this battalion of Metal Mongers, that's for sure. "Let Us Roam" is another most impressive  piece of ingenuity carefully crafted by the machine. Taking things back just a notch are "Black Sails" and "Hymn of Fate" which offer a little change of pace that explores a different melodic path. The instrumental portion of Ride Forth is a mind altering binge of classical expertise called  "Appassionata." which happens to be Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 23.

 

Exmortus are without a doubt one of the most insanely talented bands in all of Metal history and need to be heard. An unbelievable testimony to all that is great about the genre and ultimately music in general. While the death vocals might not be everyone's forte they work amazingly well in this setting. Besides, the passion, competence and overall appeal of the musicians themselves is reason enough to warrant the endorsement of this fantastic album. Glorious, simply glorious!

 

-The Metal Priest