Exalter - Obituary for the Living EP

Artist: Exalter
Release Title: Obituary for the Living EP
Year: 2016
Label: Trending Obscurity Distribution
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Tortured Innocents
2. Surrounded by Evil
3. Sacrificial Immolation
4. Nuclear Punishment
5. Throat Cutters
6. Thrash Resurgence
7. White Phosphorus Shell

The new EP from Bangladesh thrashers Exalter packs a solid punch of old-school sounding revival-influenced thrash that should see them become big names in the genre. From the start that’s precisely what’s gathered here which enables this to come off far more fun than it really should. That implies all the usual caveats, from tight-played hard-hitting riffing that adopts a series of either mid-tempo charging or up-tempo driving that takes on a different intensity level often-times within the same track. That creates a wholly impressive sense of dynamic and variety within the music which undermines their youth very well, even with the fact that the album does come off more with those mid-tempo charging rhythms. It holds up within a few similar arrangements and patterns that come along with that type of rhythm play within here, but it’s not enough to really hold back the enjoyable parts here.

There’s little to dislike about the music here. Opener ‘Tortured Innocents’ features ravenous riff-work and pounding drumming filled with tight patterns and rattling rhythms along through the up-tempo paces as the straightforward riffing alongside the pounding drumming whips through the solo section and along through the tight patterns in the final half for a solid opening impression. ‘Surrounded by Evil’ uses tight riffing and plenty of furious drumming taking the frantic, charging rhythms along through the steady chugging patterns at up-tempo paces with plenty of pounding, charging drumming leading into the solo section and carrying on through the finale for a solid, enjoyable highlight. ‘Sacrificial Immolation’ brings along thrashing drum-work and steady, churning riffing along through a simple thrashing pace with driving rhythms carrying the straightforward patterns along through the twisting riff-work bringing the thumping drumming along into the final half for another strong effort. ‘Nuclear Punishment’ uses deep charging riff-work and pounding drumming to work through a steady series of mid-tempo grooving chug-based riffing alongside the steady, charging rhythms that pound along through the solo section and carrying along through the finale for a strong highlight effort. ‘Throat Cutters’ starts with pounding drumming battering along to the steady riffing as the charging mid-tempo rhythms swarm through the main section while whipping up even more energy to charge through the frenetic riffing and pounding drumming carrying into the final half for an enjoyable effort. ‘Thrash Resurgence’ takes immediate razor-wire riffing and pounding drumming along through a frantic, furious pace with plenty of swirling rhythms and tight charging patterns through a series of frantic choppy riffing carries the explosive energy through the fine, charging finale for another highlight. Lastly, ‘White Phosphorus Shell’ uses a sampled-speech intro that gives way to blistering, charging riff-work and utterly ravenous drumming carrying along a steady, blistering pace with plenty of steady rhythms pounding along to the fiery solo section and carrying through the final half for a highly enjoyable lasting impression.

On the whole this one doesn’t really do much to reinvent the wheel when it comes to playing this kind of revival-era thrash but the conviction and energy stand out far more readily which are such important features anyway that this makes for an easy choice for thrash aficionados, those curious about the band due to their unusual origins or most metal fans in general.

Score: 86/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://transcendingobscurityindia.bandcamp.com/album/obituary-for-the-living-thrash-metal