March 15, 1992, New Orleans own Exhorder released their album, “The Law” , the follow up to that amazing album followed in 2019. What, 2019, is that right ? Has it really been 27 years since these pioneers have put out any new material ? Unfortunately, it has been 27 years, 6 months, and 5 days, but who’s counting. The most important thing is that Exhorder is back, and they pick up right where the left off on their third offering, “Mourn The Southern Skies”. The two constants in the gritty bayou outfit, Kyle Thomas and Vinnie La Bella, lead they way for Exhorder , and they enlisted the help of some of the top musicians around with the additions of bassist Jason VieBrooks ( Heathen , Grip Inc ) , drummer Sasha Horn ( Forbidden , Novembers Doom ) , and the biggest guitar free agent available, Marzi Montazeri ( Heavy As Texas ). This is the a group that collectively, has an edge to them, a chip on their shoulders, and more so something to prove to the world, and the movement is spearheaded by Thomas and La Bella. KT and The Godfather are the perfect checks and balances system, with Thomas being the polished, presidential like gentleman, and La Bella opting for a Kenny Powers like approach, as in forget safe and sane, lets get dumb and dangerous. This is not a jab at anyone here, this is the perfect example of yin and yang , but make no mistake about it, “Mourn The Southern Skies” is a very calculated and direct shot, fired across the bow of the music industry, and a letter of intent for what is to come.
The album kicks off with “My Time” , a fast and furious summation for the blue collar roots the band, and most fans can relate to. It is an anthem for being stuck in a dead end job, breaking your back, dealing with the daily manual labor drama queens that are on every shop floor in America, and realizing that “your time” is the time that matters, make the most of it, make yourself happy, and everyone else can go fuck themselves. The razor sharp chops that La Bella brought to the table in the early days of the band are all over the album. He has had quite a while to stockpile riffs and arrangements over the bands hiatus, and he’s unleashing a little taste of what he’s been hoarding. Throw Montazeri’s soulfulness on top of that and you got yourself a dangerous meeting son! The addition of Sasha Horn on drums sets the tempo and paints the musical map for the thrash and groove landscape that is “Mourn The Southern Skies” , while VieBrooks adds a thunderous low end like no other. The bass is devastating from start to finish, and coupled with Horn the rhythm section is in perfect hands. They build an indestructible foundation, allowing the guitars to do what they are supposed to do, carving up this album track after track. “Beware The Wolf ” encompasses this, and is one of the real burners on the record. One of the many tracks that shows the range and ability KT is capable of pulling off. ” Yesterday’s Bones ” from the rip, has that Nawlins crunch that The Godfather, Vinnie La Bella doesn’t get nearly enough credit for. He started it many years ago, and had it perfected long before many borrowed and tried to tweak it for themselves. The back and fourth between Marzi and Vinnie is what is hopefully, a dynamic guitar duo for a long time to come. Between these two, New Orleans and half of Texas may not be able to come up with a riff again. While we are geekin out over these here fellas playin the guitar, lets really give Montazeri his due. Marzi may be a secret to many in the metal world, hell maybe in the music industry in general, but there is no denying his passion, or ability to deliver the goods.
Overall, I give ” Mourn The Southern Skies ” a 10/10. This is a modern masterpiece from start to finish. Tracks that really stand out are the ominous ” The Arms of Man “. It has a serious eerie undertone going on, with that southern twang piercing your ears, and KT delivering a monster performance vocally. The solo ties it all together , and leaves the listener wanting more. For all the thrash “elitists” out there crying this isn’t a thrash record, get over yourselves, Exhorder gives you ” Ripping Flesh ” , which features former drummer Chris Nail. It is a time machine of sorts. It is about as old school Exhorder as you can get. It has blistering guitars, frantic drums, and the call to mosh it up for old times sake. The song that really surprises is the title track, ” Mourn The Southern Skies “. It’s got some nice acoustic guitars out front, with and undercurrent of electricity and groove underneath, exploding through to the forefront. This is the song that puts it all together, and showcases what Thomas is vocally. I have never heard KT sound better than he does on this song, as he gives ya some growls, some gravelly blasts, and his range climbs throughout. This has kind of a Floodgate feel to it, and is amazing to see the band as a whole shine. This incarnation of the band is tight. The whole vibe of the current day Exhorder is family, and there’s nothing more important than family. They give it their all to the legions of fans that would not let their voices go unheard. You wanted the Kings back, you got them! This was 27 years in the making, and it did not disappoint at any turn. I don’t think KT or Vinnie would have allowed that to happen. Here’s to the hope the Godfather has 27 more years of riffs built up and stored, and if a day comes that he can’t go anymore, he finds a prodigy worthy of carrying on the La Bella tradition of shred. I’d like to see a guy just like Vinnie, ya know, a man’s man. A guy who really sticks out, almost like a Vito type character, cigar in hand, and bringing the crunch! ” Mourn The Southern Skies” may not only be the greatest comeback album of the year, it may just very well be the greatest comeback album of all time… GO FUCK YOURSELF
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Track Listing
1 – My Time
2 – Asunder
3 – Hallowed Sound
4 – Beware The Wolf
5 – Yesterday’s Bones
6 – All She Wrote
7 – Rumination
8 – The Arms Of Man
9 – Ripping Flesh
10 – Mourn The Southern Skies
