Recognizing Exumer requires neither an ID card nor any particular effort. German thrash metal has its own Big Four — Sodom, Kreator, Destruction and Tankard — but despite sometimes being regarded as a step below the most celebrated names, Frankfurt’s Exumer have absolutely nothing to feel inferior about, whether historically or stylistically.
Their debut, Possessed by Fire, was released in 1986, the genre’s undisputed peak year, followed by Rising from the Sea in 1987. Both records made a strong impact on the German scene at a time when the classic thrash sound was being forged simultaneously in California and across Germany — Pleasure to Kill alone is more than enough proof of that. Exumer never shied away from following the same path: fast, aggressive and abrasive, firmly rooted in the Teutonic tradition, a formula they have carried all the way to their latest effort, Death Mask Messiah.
The album kicks off with its title track, which gets straight to the point with no unnecessary frills. The main riff is dry and pounding, backed by devastating drumming and Mem V. Stein’s furious vocals. At the same time, the chorus introduces a more melodic and memorable element that keeps the song from becoming nothing more than a straightforward assault.
Blinding Skies follows the same path, albeit with a slightly more melodic and anthemic edge, while Sin Bleeder stands as one of the album’s most vicious moments. Stein’s vocals are particularly venomous here, while the song relies on a more dynamic structure. Originally conceived with numerous tempo changes and shifting accents, the arrangement was eventually streamlined by the band to make it more immediate, effective, and memorable. Eradication is one of the most compelling tracks on the entire album. Its verses move with a heavy, dragging momentum that practically demands headbanging, while the chorus feels tailor-made to explode in a live setting, right in the middle of the crowd. Ravishing Waste shifts the atmosphere by opening with industrial sounds and samples before bursting into a classic thrash-metal charge. The contrast between its unsettling introduction and the rhythmic explosion that follows makes the track particularly effective. At the same time, the riffing retains the surgical precision that defines the record as a whole. Allocated Savagery once again raises the speed and brings a strong crossover influence into the mix, coming close at times to the rougher and more instinctive side of thrash. Serpent slows things down slightly, focusing more heavily on groove and the sheer weight of its riffs, while Fratricide seems to look straight back to the 1980s. Its arrangement is tight and stripped-down, built around riffs that sound as though they were designed to be remembered, shouted along to and repeated live. Short, aggressive and straight to the point, Scorcher comes charging back into the fray with blistering speed and extremely compact riffs that hit the listener immediately. Frozen Ground is one of the strongest moments of the album’s final stretch, closing out Exumer’s run of original compositions with a decisive return to pure brutality. The album concludes with Unchained Angel, a cover of Nasty Savage, providing one final burst of energy before the record comes to an end.
Forty-one years old and still sounding this fresh. That is perhaps the simplest way to sum up Death Mask Messiah, an album that brings a name back into the spotlight far too many times overlooked. Exumer may have already delivered their best work decades ago, but this latest effort is more than just a well-executed revival. It is a display of clarity, awareness, and complete command of their craft — qualities that only a seasoned band like Exumer can keep firmly under control. Death Mask Messiah is not an attempt to relive the past. It is a reminder that Exumer were, and still are, a force to be reckoned with.
