ALBUM REVIEW: Dawn of the Exultants and the Hunt for the Shepherd – Battlesnake
Its three albums in as many years for trad-metal revivalist loons BATTLESNAKE. The Australian six piece are making quite a name for themselves at present, with both 2023’s self-titled and last year ludicrously titled The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple gaining rave reviews and allowing the band the chance to play across the UK and Bearded Theory; they’re returning not just here, but to Europe in general over the summer for festival and headline shows, including slots at Download, 2000trees and ArcTanGent. This time, however, they’ve got new music again in the form of – deep breath – Dawn of the Exultants and the Hunt for the Shepherd, released independently on Friday 6th June.
As if a prolific output of studio material wasn’t enough for BATTLESNAKE, incredibly Dawn of the Exultants… is another concept album and a sequel to their previous record. You see, whereas The Rise and Demise… was all about a tank that doubled up as a church (yes, really), this new release, as per the introductory title track, talks of the titular Exultants rising from the underground of a sinful citadel, creating a new Motorsteeple, appointing a new leader or ‘Shepherd’ in this case and worshipping in preparation for the return of the original ‘bio-mecha deity’ that was talked about previously. It’s 107 seconds in length and will either have you running a country mile away from BATTLESNAKE and all they stand for, no doubt lamenting the state of metal in 2025, or taking on an ‘In for a penny, in for a pound’ mindset and diving headfirst into all the silliness. Spoiler alert: you’re going to want to choose Option 2.
Why? Because metal, in it’s most classic of forms as on display here, has always been inherently mad. Sure, there is a definite line in the sand, but BATTLESNAKE seldom cross it. This isn’t using riffs and overdriven guitars as a vehicle for comedy, this is enhancing a stupid and fantastical music genre with a wholly original storyline and sense of humour. Crucially, though, it’s delivered with full commitment; if there was any hint that the band didn’t believe what they were singing about, they would have died on their backside long ago. It’s why songs like The Fathers of Iron Flesh, with its chugging GREEN LUNG-esque riff and thunderous chorus, or the PRIEST-like twin leads of Murder Machine, have so much impact – the band have put all their chips in the middle of the table and playing like their lives depend on it. When you have that much drive in your music, you can only succeed.
Moreover, the passion and belief that BATTLESNAKE have in their craft is so infectious, it brings the listener along with ease, meaning the spoken word portions of the record – Beelzebug’s Nativity, Fowl of the South and The Borning of the G – add melodrama and soap opera peril instead of coming across hokey and cringeworthy. Before long, you’re fully enveloped in the story and engrossed all the way through Sanctum Robots talking about hunting down Jesus Christ (with added bagpipes, because why not?) and then on to closing track Moto Exordium, nearly seven minutes in length and delving into KING GIZZARD territory with its more psychedelic, progressive guitar movements. As it disappears, you’re left wondering a) what sort of fever dream you’ve just witnessed and b) how BATTLESNAKE have managed to fit this all into thirty-six minutes without ever feeling too busy.
Dawn of the Exultants… is utter high nonsense, but that’s the biggest compliment you can give it. It invokes the spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, affixes a pair of glasses with eyes on springs and gives it a masterclass in clowning; the result is a bouncing, colourful and sometimes hilarious album which will have you headbanging, fist pumping and grinning from ear to ear throughout.
Rating: 8/10
Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd is set for release on June 6th via self-release.
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