Album Review: Harlott – Exsequiis
Reviewed by Gareth Pugh
When Mortal Sin put Australian thrash on the map back with their sophomore album, the rather excellent ‘Face of Despair’ back in 1989, it didn’t exactly open the flood gates, but it did start a an interest in metal from down under, and when the new wave of thrash metal started in the mid 2000’s, it started a new stream of talented underground bands, Mason, In Malice’s Wake, Desecrator, to name but a few, and of course Melbourne’s Harlott, which formed back in 2006 and are about to release full length number five “Exsequiis”.
So, it’s been six years since the superb ‘Detritus of the Final Age’ and I must admit I thought the band might have gone the way of the Dodo, but thankfully that is not the case, and these things just takes time. After a brief atmospheric intro; ‘Incipiam’ first track proper ‘Void’ is a smorgasbord of technical discordant riffing and precise bludgeoning, with main man Andrew Hudson (guitars, lead vocals) spitting out the lyrics with fervent venom, the solo section has to be heard to be believed, with its melodic background chord work. That’s definitely something that Harlott does differently to others, the riffs are not only the heart of the song, but nothing is off limits, sometimes it’s like something from brutal technical death metal, and the next it’s a lick that wouldn’t be out of place on a hard rock track. It’s this variety that keeps the songs fresh, together with near damn flawless musicianship and relentless aggression, tempered with hooks and melodies.
While the first three tracks fly by in a blur of speed and unbridled violence, first single ‘The Joyful Strain’ is a bit of an outlier, with it’s groovy riffage, with no speed to speak of, but it’s certainly something a bit different with an earworm of a hook. The band leave the best ‘til last with the astounding title-track; ‘Exsequiis’ itself, which means funeral procession or honours (in this case mankind), which by the way is beautifully captured by Shaun Farrugia’s distinctive cover art, starting with ominous acoustics, and building the tension with huge chords, before breaking out into a twisting mass of disturbing riffs and time changes.
This year has seen a plethora of excellent thrash releases, with Flotsam & Jetsam, and Exumer both releasing excellent new albums in the last few weeks, and “Exsequiis” is equally as good if not better, in fact I would go as far to say if you only want one thrash album this year, “Exsequiis” is the one I would recommend, it’s not the easiest of listens at first, but the rewards are worth it, this an album that just keeps giving and giving.
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