Exhorder is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thrashThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. Thrash metal lyrics often deal with social issues using direct and denunciatory...
/
groove metalGroove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre emerged in the early 1990s through albums such as Exhorder's Slaughter in the Vatican and Pantera's Cowboys from Hell ; who first incorporated groove-based rhythms into thrash metal...
band from
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
, Louisiana. They are often credited as the purveyors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as
PanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and "Dimebag" Darrell , then known as Diamond Darrell, in 1981. Bassist Rex Brown then known as Rex Rocker would join in 1982, with vocalist Terry Glaze...
, White Zombie, and
Machine HeadMachine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, formed in 1992. Founded by singer and guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce, and has only had 4 personnel changes since its inception 17 years ago. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , Phil Demmel , and...
. Initially active from 1985 to 1992, they have since reformed in 2008.
Exhorder was formed in 1985 in
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After releasing several demos in the vein of pure thrash metal, they started to adapt more of a groove metal-oriented sound with their debut studio album,
Slaughter in the VaticanSlaughter in the Vatican is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, released through Roadrunner Records in 1990. It was reissued by Roadrunner in 2003 in a double disc package with The Law and reissued again in 2008....
, released in 1990.
Exhorder is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thrashThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. Thrash metal lyrics often deal with social issues using direct and denunciatory...
/
groove metalGroove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre emerged in the early 1990s through albums such as Exhorder's Slaughter in the Vatican and Pantera's Cowboys from Hell ; who first incorporated groove-based rhythms into thrash metal...
band from
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
, Louisiana. They are often credited as the purveyors of the groove-oriented thrash sound later made famous by bands such as
PanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and "Dimebag" Darrell , then known as Diamond Darrell, in 1981. Bassist Rex Brown then known as Rex Rocker would join in 1982, with vocalist Terry Glaze...
, White Zombie, and
Machine HeadMachine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, formed in 1992. Founded by singer and guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce, and has only had 4 personnel changes since its inception 17 years ago. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , Phil Demmel , and...
. Initially active from 1985 to 1992, they have since reformed in 2008.
Early days (1985-1992)
Exhorder was formed in 1985 in
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After releasing several demos in the vein of pure thrash metal, they started to adapt more of a groove metal-oriented sound with their debut studio album,
Slaughter in the VaticanSlaughter in the Vatican is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, released through Roadrunner Records in 1990. It was reissued by Roadrunner in 2003 in a double disc package with The Law and reissued again in 2008....
, released in 1990. This sound was further developed by their second (and to date last) album,
The LawThe Law is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, released in 1992 through Roadrunner Records. On this album, the band's sound became a lot more groove metal-oriented. It was reissued by Roadrunner in 2003 in a two disc set with Slaughter in the Vatican and again in 2008...
, released in 1992. The band dissolved later that year.
Reunion (1998-present)
Exhorder reunited for several reunion gigs in 1998, 2001, and 2003 in New Orleans. On May 9, 2008, it was announced that the band had reunited and had begun writing new material.
As of that day, the band's official myspace page contains the reunited group's lineup as well as the headline "writing new material for the return of Exhorder"
Controversy
Several elements of Exhorder's debut could potentially explain its lack of commercial success in relation to Pantera. In disagreement with the opinion that Exhorder is "Pantera minus the good songs," AMG's review of
Slaughter in the Vatican expresses that "perhaps a more accurate billing would be to call them Pantera without the major label backing." They also point to the fact that the title of Exhorder's debut, along with the unsubtle album cover, "certainly didn't help [its] cause any."
Exhorder lead vocalist Kyle Thomas has stated that he does not care about any of the criticism and is sick of seeing Exhorder's name tied to Pantera's. He also stated that he and some members of Pantera were friends, and that he mourns the loss of
Dimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott, also known as "Diamond Darrell", "Dimebag Darrell", or simply "Dime" was an American guitarist...
. Recently, Thomas suggested that while it is possible Pantera may have been influenced by his band, the members of Pantera "work[ed] a ... lot harder than [they] did."
Current line up
- Kyle Thomas - vocals
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist...
(FloodgateFloodgates are adjustable gates used to control water flow in reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and canals, or they may be designed to stop water flow entirely as part of a levee or storm surge...
, Alabama ThunderpussyAlabama Thunderpussy was a Southern metal band from Richmond, Virginia.-History:Bryan Cox, Erik Larson and Asechiah Bogdan founded ATP in 1996. Bill Storms and Johnny Throckmorton completed the lineup, and the band signed to Man's Ruin Records in 1998. They debuted with Rise Again later that year,...
, Pitts vs Preps)
- Vinnie Labella - guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
- Jay Ceravolo - Guitar (Fall from Grace
Fall From Grace is an American alternative rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. The band is best known for winning Fuse TV's reality show Bodog Music Battle of the Bands and winning a one million dollar recording contract with Bodog Music. Fall From Grace beat out over 7000 bands; ten...
)
- Andy Villafarra - bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Chris Nail - drums
A drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
Studio albums
- Slaughter in the Vatican
Slaughter in the Vatican is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, released through Roadrunner Records in 1990. It was reissued by Roadrunner in 2003 in a double disc package with The Law and reissued again in 2008....
(1990, Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is a record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
)
- The Law
The Law is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, released in 1992 through Roadrunner Records. On this album, the band's sound became a lot more groove metal-oriented. It was reissued by Roadrunner in 2003 in a two disc set with Slaughter in the Vatican and again in 2008...
(1992, Roadrunner Records)
Demos
- Get Rude
Get Rude is a demo album by American thrash metal band Exhorder, self-released in 1986. It features an early version of Unforgiven, later heard on The Law.-Track listing:#"Bestial Noise/Wake the Dead" - 3:45#"Ripping Flesh" - 3:07#"Unforgiven" - 3:37...
(1986, self-released)
- Slaughter in the Vatican (1988, self-released)
External links