{"id":80551,"date":"2018-05-29T13:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T18:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=80551"},"modified":"2018-05-29T12:49:21","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T17:49:21","slug":"review-exmortus-the-sound-of-steel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/review-exmortus-the-sound-of-steel\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Exmortus \u2013 The Sound of Steel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>Looking over the band\u2019s song titles and album covers, one could be forgiven for assuming that <strong>Exmortus<\/strong> is a power metal band.\u00a0Even in sound, the band seems to proudly wear the same influences as their European power metal counterparts. Despite appearances, Exmortus has always maintained thrash metal as the primary element to their sound. This year Exmortus returns with a new album called <em>The Sound of Steel, <\/em>from Prosthetic Records, which proudly showcases Exmortus unique blend of neoclassical and thrash metal.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Leading off the album is the song \u201cMake Haste\u201d, a song which is a suitable introduction into Exmortus\u2019 sound for the unfamiliar. This song gallops along quickly with heavy doses of neoclassical guitar flair.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_71055\"  width=\"320\" height=\"240\"  data-origwidth=\"320\" data-origheight=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7SLm-5hNZuA?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Following on the heels of \u201cMake Haste\u201d is \u201cFeast of Flesh.\u201d An aggressive drumbeat and a driving guitar riff push this song forward, as most of the neoclassical influences fall by the wayside except for one guitar solo. As \u201cFeast of Flesh\u201d ends, the listener is brought \u201cInto the Maw of Hell\u201d. A song which sheds the speed of the previous two tracks and focuses taking the listener on a journey into hell. While this track does at times have an <strong>Iced Earth<\/strong> vibe to it, it never feels like a copycat.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_94464\"  width=\"320\" height=\"240\"  data-origwidth=\"320\" data-origheight=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1XFj6p6PoYo?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As we approach midway into the album, we are taken \u201cTo the Ends of the Earth\u201d. Just like the first track on the album, \u201cTo the Ends of the Earth\u201d is a great showcase of Exmortus\u2019 distinct mix of thrash and neoclassical metal. Concluding the first half of the album is a track called \u201cA Minor Instrumental\u201d. As one might guess, this track is just a short instrumental track where the band has a little fun while seguing into the second half of the album.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning the second half of the album is \u201cStrength and Honor\u201d. Following in the formula established in the first half of the album, it doesn\u2019t offer anything new except for the inclusion of some high pitched vocals alongside Jadran &#8220;Conan&#8221; Gonzalez usual growls. These more high pitched vocals are more of a distraction than a valued addition to the song and I can\u2019t really understand the necessity of their inclusion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTurn the Tide\u201d comes in as the album\u2019s seventh track and seems to be a simple rehashing of the album\u2019s first song, except for a change in lyrics and song title. The next track on the album is \u201cTempest\u201d a captivating and headbanging rendition of one Beethoven\u2019s compositions. This is easily one of my favorite moments on the album as it retains a certain Yngwie Malmsteen feel to it, without feeling like a purely guitar driven affair as the bass perfectly complements the mesmerizing guitar work.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding the album are the tracks \u201cRiders of Doom\u201d and \u201cVictory or Death\u201d. \u201cRiders of Doom\u201d starts with a chant of \u201cDoom\u201d, which I imagine will make it a staple in upcoming live sets for the band. The song builds up slowly on top of this chant, with a simple guitar riff leading the way, very reminiscent of Amon Amarth at times. \u00a0The epic, and quest like vibe of the song remain until its very end. Closing out the album is \u201cVictory or Death\u201d, a fast and exuberant song which concludes the album the same way it opened, in speeding gallop followed by a full on thrash attack.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, <em>The Sound of Steel <\/em>is a solid effort from Exmortus. While the band may not have reinvented themselves with this album, there isn\u2019t a need to. Exmortus has found their sound of neoclassical mixed with thrash and they\u2019re developing that sound. The only problems I have with this album is the inclusion of \u201cA Minor Instrumental\u201d and the use of high pitched vocals on \u201cStrength and Honor\u201d. \u201cA Minor instrumental\u2019 seems to serve no purpose except as a segue on the album. This could have been just as easily accomplished by moving up \u201cTempest\u201d in the album\u2019s track listing. As for the high pitched vocals on \u201cStrength and Honor\u201d they just don\u2019t seem to fit on this track, and is more of a distraction than anything. Despite the occasional misstep this album is 4.5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell out of 5.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-38031\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5-1024x234.jpg?resize=1024%2C234&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?resize=1024%2C234&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?resize=300%2C68&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?w=1249&amp;ssl=1 1249w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can check out <a href=\"https:\/\/exmortusmusic.com\/\">Exmortus<\/a> by visiting their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/exmortusofficial\/\">Facebook<\/a> page or heading over to their <a href=\"https:\/\/exmortus-official.bandcamp.com\/\">Bandcamp<\/a>, where you can stream and purchase their music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking over the band\u2019s song titles and album covers, one could be forgiven for assuming that Exmortus is a power metal band.\u00a0Even in sound, the band seems to proudly wear the same influences as their European power metal counterparts. Despite appearances, Exmortus has always maintained thrash metal as the primary element to their sound. This year Exmortus returns with a new album called The Sound of Steel, from Prosthetic Records, which proudly showcases Exmortus unique blend of neoclassical and thrash metal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":80556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Review: Exmortus \u2013 The Sound of Steel","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,70],"tags":[346,6284,1746,5909,416,2437],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/a3349412004_10-1.jpg?fit=710%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80551"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}