Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #1: Hexecutor/Mortal Scepter

With this new article, I started a column called "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss". This column is a sort of evolution of "Reviews' Attacks" because also here I'll talk you briefly about various bands in a single article. But, contrarily to the "Reviews' Attacks", the "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" aren't reviews but a sort of fast introductions of bands that are worthy to be cited on these putrid pages. The fact is that every day I have new review requests but not always I have the time to review EVERY album/demo/EP/whatever it is that I receive, so I preferred to present them to you by listening only to two or little more songs. Anyway, you'll can find these honorable mentions not only in the "Special Articles" section but also, for a matter of completeness, in the "Reviews" section. Is all clear?
Hence, no reviews, no ratings, "only" honorable mentions!

This first episode of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" is all dedicated to two remarkable bands from France: Hexecutor and Mortal Scepter.

HEXECUTOR - "HANGMEN OF ROAZHON"

The first ones, Hexecutor (FB page), were founded in 2011 and are a quartet in which there are ex and current members of Venefixion, so, only starting from this detail, a slaughter as it should be is surely granted! In particular, I'll talk you about their first EP "Hangmen of Roazhon", that was originally released in 2014 by the French label Armée de la Mort Records but recently reissued, always in vinyl format, by the German Dying Victims Productions, a label specialized on the rawer '80s extreme metal.

In fact, this EP is fantastic because it see 4 tracks bombarding the listeners through a raw and violent thrash metal played at a breakneck speed and with completely wild vocals that I literally adore, in a style that can reminds you of cult bands like Sadus, Dark Angel or Kreator. And the nicer thing is that this EP seem seriously to come from the '80s, as it is confirmed even by the same, amazing aesthetics, full of spikes and studs as it was for the early Destruction, of Hexecutor, so I think that this is band is worthy to be a cult for every ancient extreme metal maniac out there.

If you want to look into the thrashing world of Hexecutor, then you have to know that they released in 2016 their full-lenght album "Poison, Lust and Damnation" (Armée de la Mort Rec). In addition, a friend of mine told me that, on stage, they are truly kickass, so, if you have the possibility to see them live, I suggest you to go to the 2019 edition of Unholy Metal Mayhem (FB event), a German fest scheduled on 23rd March at Oberhausen, Germany.

MORTAL SCEPTER - "WHERE LIGHT SUFFOCATES"

If Hexecutor has into their line-up Venefixion's members, Mortal Scepter (FB page) has the singer/guitarist Lucas that plays also in another notable French act: Skelethal. So, obviously, you have to expect an old-school extreme metal approach, this time in the sign of a '80s death/thrashing demented massacre closed to Possessed, Black Shepherd, the early Death and Infernäl Mäjesty but also to some French bands such as Agressor and Massacra.

 

To say the truth, in their very recent debut album "Where Light Suffocates" (Xtreem Music, 2019), this death/thrashing style is more various than you can imagine. This is greatly expressed by the closing song "...the Scepter Reigns", a 10-minute monumental tour de force in which there are even some atmospheric parts as well a darker riffing showing some black metal influences.

 

Nothing else to say, this is a debut album to remember in saecula saeculorum for who is in love with similar contemporary bands of the calibre of Atomic Aggressor, Inculter, Siege Column and the likes!

 

If you are interested to more French bands of this kind, then Triumph ov Death released recently the second volume of a compilation called "We Are French, Fuck You!" (BandCamp). It features even 24 acts, included just Mortal Scepter, who contributed with the unreleased song "Obscure Entanglement". Instead, Hexecutor was part of the first volume, released in 2015, of this compilation.