Returning once again to bring the Teutonic Thrash fury, Exumer are here with ‘Hostile Defiance’, the follow up to the impressive 2016 release; “The Raging Tides”. Exposition isn’t really necessary here because face it, Teutonic Thrash metal is something easily identifiable and despite the nuances to their sound, you know what to expect – hard hitting, full-throttle, no bullshit. So, let’s get down to it.

With a rapid-fire riff assault, “Hostile Defiance” opens the album and it is what you want. A guitar tone which cuts through, furious pacing and venomously snarled vocals which demand the attention of the listener. The ascending and descending riffs, the surging pace and flurries of slick lead work all combine to make one hell of an opening statement and hot on its heels is “Raptor”, a rhythmically imposing beast which might as well be likened to its prehistoric namesake. It is a swift predator which is armed with a wailing shred solo and ferocious vocals and its presence demands attention… And headbanging… A LOT of headbanging!

“Carnage Rider” brings a slight element of the cross-over/Bay Area vibe with its gang vocal shouts and more urgent pacing. Throw in the wild and wailing shredfest lead section and you have a track tailor-made to incite a frenzy in a live setting. “Dust Eater” keeps the throwback feel going, sounding fairly similar to Exodus in places. The venomous sneer of the vocals and the crushing groove laden chug riffs work well enough to give a solid headbang-friendly hook to the flow of the track and the tight rhythm section once again shows just how solid Exumer are when it comes to delivering the goods.

“Kings End” is a frantic paced number which again is loaded full of chugging riffs and stinging vocal assaults. The solo is again, another slice of unrestrained fretboard gymnastics and it’s just your typical thrash track, nothing more to elaborate on. “Descent” mixes things up a little, having a more modern thrash feel to its sound and delivery. There’s a subtle exotic flair to the sound of the riffs before the main chug sections land and again, there is a fairly imposing vocal presence to round it off. The lead parts are less wild in this one, instead they seem to flow better with the track and have a more noticeable melodic direction to them which works quite well, after all, sometimes you need a thrash solo which has direction! “Trapper” keeps this theme going with the modern feel and with its shifting pace, slowing down to get heavier before putting its foot down for the fast paced shred sections and after this, it’s back to normal business for the final trio of tracks; “The Order Of Shadows”, “Vertical Violence” and “Splinter”. All three tracks are once again loaded with the precise and efficient rhythmic delivery expected of high speed, high intensity Teutonic thrash.

There are two bonus tracks also for this release; “He’s A Woman, She’s A Man” (Scorpions cover) and “Supposed To Rot” (Entombed Cover). Both are fast paced thrash metal renditions of their originals, but having not heard the original of either track (and having an intense dislike for The Scorpions also!) I cannot really comment on their execution and how good a reimagining of the track they are, but what I can say is that they are two turbo-charged offerings, fitting in well with the majority of this release.

Overall, it’s a fairly straight forward release from Exumer. It’s your typical Teutonic Thrash release which is loaded up with gallops, chugs and blisteringly fast paced lead guitar licks. Whilst it doesn’t quite have the same impact as “The Raging Tides” did, it does pack a punch still and it’s worth grabbing if you need your thrash fix.

(7/10 Fraggle)

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