Thrash metal has always been one of the first and most dominant genres in metal.
Metallica,
Overkill,
Destruction, and plenty of other bands have scaled the surface of the music world as the pioneers of this genre. However, there doesn’t seem to be that much going on for thrash metal in today’s music scene. Thankfully, that’s where uprising Jordanian trio
Exile comes in. After forming in 2008 from other projects such as
Dragonrider and SoulBleed, this band has been out to breathe life back into the 80’s and 90’s style metal scene. They received the attention of some fans of their heavy and raw metal tunes after the release of their first demo in 2010, “
Dead Thrashers
Rising.” Now they continue their onslaught in
2012, with their debut full-length album entitled “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety.”
Loaded with 11 tracks, this record stays true to its thrash genre and will definitely attract old-school metal lovers.
The musicianship in “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety” is solid and just about everything people would expect from an old-school thrash metal record. The vocals mostly consist of mid-pitch roars, which is rather typical for this kind of genre. All in all, they aren’t bad, but they’re nothing really special, either. The same can mostly be said for the drums, although they do see moments of complexity, especially in “A Man with
Power.” However, the guitar work is where most of
Exile’s musical prowess truly shines. There are plenty of great riffs and solos throughout the course of the record, and they really do bring back memories of the old days of metal. They also do contain slight hints of death metal in their tracks, and that only serves the band in the end. “
Absolute Evil” and “World of Guilt” particularly have the punchiest of these riffs and solos, and they greatly demonstrate just how strong the band’s guitar work really is. If the musicianship itself wasn’t enough, even the raw sound production gives the music that 80’s and 90’s feel to it. This all adds up to raw and heavy thrash musicianship and production, and that’s not something you’ll find in many up and coming bands in the metal world.
Overall, the songs in “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety” all pertain to the heavy, raw, and old-school thrash metal that old listeners grew incredibly fond of. Lying along the lines of bands such as
Exodus and
Kreator,
Exile really isn’t fooling around in their tracks. They are very solid and old-fashioned metal tunes that reek of violence and musical rawness. “
Absolute Evil” is definitely the best bet of this record, with vicious riffs and explosive drumming. It really revives 80’s metal from the dead, and old-school metal fans will definitely get into it. Other great tracks this album has to offer include the guitar lick-laden “World of Guilt” and the down-tuned “The Damned.” This record does, however, have plenty of room for improvement. Although this band is doing a good job of representing their genre in this album, it would be much more interesting if they were to think a little more outside of the thrash box. In other words, they really should try to expand upon the thrash metal genre in order to make way for a better and more memorable and unique sound. On the other hand, when it comes down to the band’s music itself, “
Suspended Society…
Mutilated Variety” is a solid and unrelenting listen.
From the looks of things,
Exile is certainly taking a crack against political regime in this record, hence the title “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety.” The album cover artwork depicts a very straightforward perspective on corrupt politics and government. It shows a man being blindfolded by a mad scientist with a cloth with the word “globalization” on it in big red letters. This trio really does have some beef going on against such political integration that would definitely cause trouble in individual countries’ cultures, laws, and values. The artwork in “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety” also displays a group of people in olive-green jumpsuits wandering out of a building, with their eyes and mouths sewn shut. Civilians are blinded from what is right and what is wrong due to the tainted nature of politics, and their mouths are sealed so they don’t have a say in how things run in their own land. This particular illustration really ties together with the song “
Absolute Evil,” where the lyrics read lines including “Is there a difference, evil or divine?
Heaven or hell, is it blood or wine?” and “
Evil ways have been taught, unconsciously invade our thoughts, fed on lies turned to truth...” Like pioneering thrash metal acts such as
Kreator and
Municipal Waste,
Exile conceals a message of anti-political viewpoints that many bands of the same genre followed, starting from the earlier years.
Exile really has made a fine debut with “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety.” The production is raw and definitely gives the music that 80’s old-school edge, and people could easily make the mistake of thinking this album was created back at that time. The musicianship, for the most part, is solid, but nothing completely out of the ordinary, besides the stellar guitar work. The music alone is violent and very old-fashioned thrash metal that fans of the old days of metal music will come to really take interest in. Even the lyrics retain the usual themes of thrash metal of corrupt politics and madness.
Metal fans who are dying to hear new and modern bands bring back the heavy sounds of the 80’s and 90’s thrash really ought to give this album a shot. It’s also highly recommended to those who are just looking for some traditional and vicious thrash metal tunes.
Despite the fact that, as stated earlier, this album does have room for improvement, “
Suspended Society...
Mutilated Variety” has proved to listeners that
Exile really does have a ton of potential hidden within its metallic assault. They just need to try to broaden their regions a bit outside of the thrash zone so they can really create something special.
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