Harlott Exsequiis Review
Harlott
Exsequiis
Metal Blade Records
2026
Thrash will just not die. I'm happy about that, because it and death metal are my top two subgenres. There are new and exciting bands crippling necks from all over the world that carry the torch once held aloft by Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Overkill, Testament etc. Melbourne Australia's Harlott are absolutely one of the more noteworthy among them. They are creating some serious whiplash on their newest full length, the 11 song Exsequiis.
Harlott got their start when four teenagers decided to make some noise together twenty years ago. They showed promise with the scorching debut Origin (2013), then came Proliferation (2015), Extinction (2017) and 2020's Detritus of the Final Age. After a six-year gap, they have returned with a decidedly more confident batch of songs that are sharper, adventurous and denser than previous albums. The band is helmed by guitarist/vocalist Andrew Hudson, guitarist Leigh Bartley, bassist/vocalist Tom Richards and Glen Trayhern behind the kit. Together they make Exsequiis an energetic, tightly moshable and guitar forward throwback listen that benefits from the technology of today's crystal-clear production.
Lyrically they seem to stick to the tried-and-true thrash modus operandi of socio political and introspective themes. The single “Trial By Liar” is a perfect example behind its rapid-fire tempos, speed picking and raw vocals. The vocal led breakdown and minor riffing drive the point home with the band stating, “Truth doesn’t appear to matter anymore and there aren’t any consequences for anything. There is a war on information raging and we yearn for the day when judgement is met on these perpetrators.”
Throughout the album the guitar work of Hudson and Bartley shines, slicing through tricky triplet picked sections, melodic and shreddy leads and open strings and dissonant tails in every song. The sweeping intro “Incipian” and “The God That Knows No Name” are perfect examples of it all. “Vice Borne” is a standout for its incorporation of galloping, scampery riffs and a catchy ear worm of a chorus that has bounce to spare. The blackened intensity of “Messiah Simplex” is an eye opener with the inclusion of blast beats, while the closing title track has a clean guitar intro that gives way to a slow, almost doom-like intro, before ratcheting up the speed for a driving and chugging verse into d-beat fare under machine gun vocals.
Harlott has openly matured and tried some new things they began on their previous album, only now the hesitation is gone, replaced by assuredness and what sounds like a band entering their prime. Top notch thrash that recalls the Bay Area, Germany and the Uk all at once is their business, and business is good. I suspect it's gonna be booming after the international metal community hears this….
RIYL- Kreator, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, Sodom, Destruction, Havok, Warbringer, Enforced, Toxic Holocaust, Evile, etc.
~TB