Review
Exsequiis is the most lethal pure thrash assault in recent memory, precisely because it treats genre orthodoxy not as a cage, but as a finely calibrated weapon. Rather than chasing crossover novelties, the Melbourne quartet tightens their late-eighties fundamentals into something pitiless and airtight, executing every turn with surgical force.
The acceleration is immediate. Following the brief acoustic tension of "Incipiam", "Void" and "Messiah Simplex" strike with blistering alternate picking, black-metal blast spikes, and Andrew Hudson’s sandpaper snarl. When the velocity dials back—as on the brooding, six-minute march of "The God That Knows No Name" or the swinging, Bay Area pocket of "The Joyful Stain"—Glen Trayhern’s battering percussion and Tom Richards’ thick bass lines anchor the rhythm in concrete, giving the dual-guitar harmonies room to breathe without sacrificing impact.
The closing title track provides the sole detour into restraint, beginning with ominous nylon arpeggios before detonating into mid-tempo death-thrash crunch and frantic trade-off solos. It is direct, pit-ready music elevated entirely by uncompromising speed and flawless instrumental command.
