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Review: Hexecutor - Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge...
Hexecutor
www.facebook.com/Hexecutor
Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge...

Label: Dying Victims Productions
Year released: 2020
Duration: 50:19
Tracks: 8
Genre: Black/Thrash

Rating:
4.5/5


Review online: March 18, 2021
Reviewed by: Micah.Ram
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Review

Hexecutor are a four-piece Blackened Thrash Metal band from France who have at this time released two full-length albums, a split with Manzer, and an EP which precedes all of those. Starting up in 2011, the band have surprisingly kept their original lineup, which is especially cool to see nowadays, as well as when examining this new album and comparing it with older material.

In order to talk about Beyond Any Human Conception of Knowledge... I feel it is important to consider what they had on offer with their 2016 debut album, Poison, Lust and Damnation. The first album was a viciously aggressive concoction of Blackened Thrash Metal with a mission to kill with its intense speed and sharp-edged riffs accompanying the bestial vocal delivery of vocalist Joey Demönömaniac. He frequently used this high-pitched shriek which was rather piercing in the mix, which could be a very hit or miss quality, but it was also a signature element in the sound.

Fast-forward to 2020's Beyond... and a listener familiar with the earlier work will notice that this is a different kind of album. In fact, this is the evident maturation of the band who slayed with their ruthless speed and aggression. What is most noticeably different is the large shift in style of the riffing, now favoring a sound world much more akin to that of Traditional Heavy Metal. The blazing fast speed, however, frequently remains a big part of Hexecutor's execution through these eight songs. Combined with the now more melodic and less angular riffing approach of Traditional Heavy Metal at times, this album can really begin to sound a lot like Blackened Speed Metal, especially noticeable on the epic track, "Belzebuth's Apocryphal Mark," which does not waste much time before taking off at full speed with melodic and exciting riffing before changing gears a few times to create a dynamic listening experience. Another feature of this album which has changed since the first album is that while it is still there, the aforementioned high-pitched shriek is used much less, and with a less piercing volume and attack, making it much less polarizing than the first time around.

The band have some serious chops which get put to work with every song. What is always great to hear is when a band can put out an album with an instrumental track in the middle and it maintains the energy and raises eyebrows with technical prowess and excellent writing. They did just that with the track, "Brecheliant," which has extremely colorful guitar work all over it, frequently changing moods and energies before finishing rather calmly, setting up for the extremely memorable track, "Danse Macabre." This track begins with a few predictable galloping harmonic lines, and once the vocal lines finish, the listener is treated to a lengthy, melodic, and classically charged shred fest with beautiful guitar work. Once the song concludes, there is a rendition of a fragment of the real "Danse Macabre," the orchestral piece written by French Romantic-era composer, Camille Saint-Saëns.

Hexecutor are one of those bands that fly very south of the radar. Given how ambitious this four-piece have been with their two recent full-length efforts, this is likely to change with time. Oh, did I mention that this is a concept album? Yeah, with this style, I hardly think it a needed feature, but it is there for anyone who wants to dig deeper. If you like Blackened Thrash, Traditional Heavy Metal, or Speed Metal with harsh, reverb-soaked vocals, do check this one out, as it is a very solid entry from a very ambitious band.

More about Hexecutor...
Interview with vocalist and guitarist Jey Deflagratör on February 3, 2018 (Interviewed by Luxi Lahtinen)
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