ALBUM REVIEW: EXMORTUS- RIDE FORTH

Exmortus- Ride Forth
FFO- Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Neoclassical


Exmortus is a band that has been on an incredible streak as of late.  Doing their blend of Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Neoclassical has kept the band sounding fresh as ever. With Ride Forth, the band's 4th album, the band really finds their sound and sounds tighter than ever.

The album starts with Speed Of The Strike, which is easily one of the fastest songs on the album and a great way to start this 4th adventure. For new fans, you will easily hear the Classical and Orchestral influences in the band. Relentless is still fast but not near as speedy as the first track. More of the Thrash influence is on this track. For The Horde is a classic sounding song for the band. Feast, heavy, thrashy and shreddy. A great single for the album. Let Us Roam is very mid-tempo in comparison to the rest of the album, but really showcases the band's chops. Almost like a nice breather for what is to come. Black Sails comes off as the most versatile song on the album. While coming in as a more mid-tempo, yet upbeat number, It really showcases the band's versatility as far as songwriting. Not as focused on notes and shred and love or Classical music, but much more on writing for the song itself. Hymn Of Hate brings back the speed and Orchestral chops highlighted in the guitars. Mixed with the speed of Thrash, it reminds you of versatility in chops that has gone missing in modern Metal. Beethoven's  Appassionata is up next and is an absolutely flawless cover. It reminds you very much of playing one of the highest levels on Tetris, especially at the end. Exmortus always covers as least one classical movement on each album and this was an excellent choice this time around. Death To Tyrants is a very worthy song to follow the Beethoven cover. Starting with more of a march intro, it is a upbeat, midtempo song that is greatly paced throughout. While picking up at times, it just focuses on being an excellent march to war. Fire and Ice closes the album. While not the fastest song on the album, it is a great Metal assault. It is the longest song on the album (at 6:24). It gives a very epic, victorious feeling, much like winning a Viking Battle. A perfect song to close out the album.

Exmortus has done it again with their brilliant chops, classical influence, their love of speed and strive to make quality music. This is a band for those who want more substance in their Thrash and Death Metal or want what Orchestral music would sound like if it had distortion back in the day. Ride Forth proves that Exmortus is breaking new ground and creating a world of music that should have been touched upon years ago, especially in non-instrumental bands. Exmortus rules, plain and simple!


- 8/10


Exmortus- Ride Forth available NOW via Prosthetic Records