4th April 2023

Review: “Glorious Barbarism” by Exdestrier

Having cited an incredibly wide range of influences from High On Fire to Amorphis, not to mention their former glories, quite how Edinburgh natives Exdestrier ended up choosing Blackened Sludge Metal as the genre in which they wanted to paint remains something of a mystery. However, the trio, comprising vocalist and bassist Chris Smith, guitarist and vocalist Tommy Concrete formerly of seminal Hardcore Punks The Exploited and Guitar and drummer Didier Almouzni, a man known for his work in Power Metal monsters Dragonforce as well as Razor Of Occam are said to have found common ground in Progressive structures and in lyrical themes from dark fantasy realms, tales of medieval landscapes, gruesome warriors and a looming gloom which allowed them to create a debut EP in “Glorious Barbarism“. Recorded by the band themselves in Edinburgh before being mixed and mastered by Gwen Kerjan (Banane Metalik, Toward The Throne, Devoid) at Slab Sound Studio, France…

…they say that variety is the spice of life and that plays into the hands of Exdestrier as each musician builds upon the others strengths. That results in a record of pummelling percussion, powerful, dark an tension filled atmospherics of the ominous variety alongside groove orientated riffs and rumbling bass, which perhaps more importantly means the band have found their own distinctive style. The choice of an instrumental in “Widowmaker” as an opening cut is an interesting one. It feels like the bands calling card, a funeral procession of impending doom with tasteful leads building the atmosphere as they float steadily over the thunderous rhythms. Make no mistake, while the music has been recorded by the band themselves, this isn’t a rough and ready effort but instead has a decent level of polish with a clean and crisp drum sound confirming that good level of quality of microphone has been used with time and effort put into getting the sound right. The vocals come into play with “To Glorious Oblivion” and as anticipated based upon genre stereotypes and the artwork alone an unclean bark is offered. However the band enjoy meandering through extended instrumental runs, seemingly freed from a reliance on a vocals and happily do their own thing, which is an absolute pleasure.

The dark urgency of “The King & The Void” with its almost tribal drum fills and Doom infused Sludge Metal riffs makes for a powerhouse centerpiece to the record, although how you put a Jewel on a crown of thorns is beyond imagination. The unhinged screams of “My eyes! They’ve taken my eyes!” should really make you want to crack a beaming grin and run to the Mosh pit but the dark humour of this one does exactly that. Things slow down for some Stoner Metal riff worshipping in “Mine Enemy The Sun” which drags the lake of tar with its vocals from black lungs that make way for another extended instrumental that like the Jägermeister runs deep. Those moments give the band a real soulful, gritty quality and you could see a couple of these making their way into the background of a dark crime drama on the big screen, such is the quality. Going for the juggular with the vocal parts of “The Place Of Grim Reckoning” which perhaps steals a page from the early 90’s Metal may seem like an odd way to finish the record but it works incredibly well in the context. A record that you can keep coming back to because it never gets old, “Glorious Barbarism” defies the naysayers and offers a truly unique experience [8/10]

Track Listing