ALBUM REVIEW: The Hybrid Suns – Exocrine

Hailing from France’s west coast, EXOCRINE have been gradually building themselves quite a reputation of late. Given the quality of their 2020 release Maelstrom, it should come as no surprise that the Bordeaux natives perform to the same ridiculously high standard on their new album, The Hybrid Suns. Cast from the same staggeringly heavy death-metal mould as its predecessor, it is a record crammed with blistering ingenuity and is set to challenge our very perception of heavy music. There are few who would argue against them being nominated as one of the best bands in the game.

It takes no time at all for the record to slam into its title track which combines finger-bending guitar work with a thunderous soundtrack of battering drums and skull smashing brutality. This is EXOCRINE laying down a marker for the rest of the album, as they don’t even consider stopping for breath once throughout the 35-minute runtime. Horns sees them implement pig squeals atop yet more cataclysmic blast-beats and the kind of guitar wizardry that puts the flammability of wooden fret boards at serious risk. Watchtower steamrollers on like an out of control train – equal parts cinematic and symphonic. It is a battering ram of a track that continues to push the envelope and take the band to all new heights.

Vortex Of Shadow is vast, dense and jumps from one place to another in meticulous detail. It’s testament to the band’s immense talent that it’s even possible to pull a track like this off. Following the lead of some of their peers such as INANIMATE EXISTENCE and IRREVERSIBLE MECHANISM, the Frenchmen have developed a knack for toeing the line between what is ‘outstanding’ and ‘ridiculous’, managing at all times to weave jaw dropping tracks that feel as though they should even be possible. Be it via demonic vocals or the staggeringly accomplished guitar work of Sylvain Octor-Perez and Nicolas La Rosa which dances away under the chaos, they have mastered the art of technical death metal and have now begun the process of taking it to all new heights.

The Hybrid Suns offers us lucky listeners a rare excursion into a record that is as impressive as it is punishing. Its monstrosity is beautiful in an unconventional and cathartic manner, offering a total release of energy as well as feeling like a landmark release for the genre, as well as the band. The pace is set.

Rating: 9/10

The Hybrid Suns is out now via Unique Leader Records.

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