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In a genre where we are seeing a new generation of young thrash bands, here comes the debut from Exmortus, a Death/Thrash band from California, and it offers most of the necessary things to be a great band. Starting with the songwriting, it is full of energy and the songs possess a level of catchiness that will force you to remember them once they are over. Some highlights of that are: the title track, "Triumph by Fire", the shredding instrumental "Axes of War" and "Onslaught".

Next, the musicianship level, for a young band it is outstanding. While the Exmortus of today is a quartet, for this album it only featured three members: Balmore (vocals, lead/rhythm guitars, bass), Conan (lead/rhythm guitars) and Mario (drums). They all make notable contribution to the record even though the most striking aspect is the crunchiness of the guitars. Everything from the riffs to the solos is impressive; clearly these guys wear their Slayer influences proudly on their sleeves. There is also an emphasis on the bass, you can hear it perfectly throughout the album and it raises the songs to another.

The only real negative thing against them is Balmore's voice; average is the best word that I can come up with. He has talent but he needs to improve as his vocals are sometimes annoying enough to distract you from the music. Still In Hatred's Flame is 43 minutes of pure energy and thrash mayhem. In the end, this is a good debut, setting my expectations high for the follow up.