ALBUM REVIEW: Legend – Exocrine
Since forming in 2015, French technical death metal outfit EXOCRINE have been extremely proficient, releasing a new record more or less every two years and establishing themselves as a force to contend with within extreme music. Now, two years on from the excellent The Hybrid Suns, the band are back with their sixth full-length record Legend. And it comes extremely close to living up to its namesake.
Ebbing and flowing between technical precision and unwavering brutality, Legend rarely pulls its punches and the aural bombardment is exhilarating to say the least. Akin to the band’s back catalogue, this new offering from EXOCRINE is jam-packed full of technical death metal goodness. After a customary scene setter in Presage, Legend roars into life through the title track as a maelstrom of dazzling shred from guitarists Nicolas La Rosa and Sylvain Octor-Perez and an aural bombardment from drummer Théo Gendron combine to land an instant knock out punch. Jazzy interludes break up the pace nicely and Jordy Besse‘s guttural snarls cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter. It’s a powerful start and kicks the record off in thunderous fashion.
Elsewhere, Dust In The Naught boasts some of the best lead work on the entire record with jazz-infused soloing that soars over the chaos like a phoenix rising from the ashes, whereas Warlock pumps its chest out as a barrage of blistering drums and riffs combine before falling into a dizzying frenzy that leaves you nothing short of gasping for breath.
But it’s not just excessive noodling and cramming as many notes as possible into their shred. EXOCRINE have a potency for unleashing devastating grooves and pummelling rhythms with aplomb and it is in these moments where Legend truly shines. Take Life for example as the band unleash barrage after barrage of skull-crushing riffs with an undertone of sinister atmospherics to make a really solid connection, whilst The Altar Of War‘s thick bass tones from Besse keep enough weight in the track and the pacing is delicately poised between full-throttle speed and alluring build to keep you on your toes throughout its runtime. Additionally, the likes of Dragon best showcases EXOCRINE going for the jugular as a cacophony of riffs, artillery-fire blasts from Gendron‘s drums and Besse‘s gutturals inject a fresh bout of adrenaline in the album’s latter stages.
Technical death metal can often get lost in its own complexity but with Legend, EXOCRINE have crafted a fine record that expertly walks the tightrope of balancing elaborate compositions with unrelenting brutality. Building upon the solid foundations of The Hybrid Suns and packing enough power to level a building, on Legend, EXOCRINE have delivered an early contender for 2024’s standard for technical death metal. An exhilarating ride from start to finish. Strap yourself in.
Rating: 9/10
Legend is out now via Season Of Mist.
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