Harlott are a thrash metal quartet from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2006 by a group of high school students. Their fifth full-length “Exsequiis” finds the band continuing its gradual evolution: keeping its classic, aggressive thrash stamp and adding more ambitious melodic ideas, on a record about the mass delirium of misinformation and humanity’s self-destructive course.
Country: Australia
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Slayer, Kreator, Testament
The listen
The album opens with the intro “Incipiam” and “Void”, an electrified call that combines the aggression of Slayer and Kreator with Bay Area showmanship — from the striking riffs to the clang of the bass and the bark of Andy Hudson. “Messiah Simplex” and “Trial by Liar” continue just as aggressively, with extreme metal elements in the guitars and wild solos.
The second half surprises: Harlott work on catchier, more ambitious tracks like “A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits” — one of the best on the record — the stomper “The Joyful Strain” and the melodic “Vice Borne” with its gang vocals. “Endling” completes the picture, showing a band that expands its boundaries without losing the frenzy that characterizes it.
After the debut “Origin” (2012), “Proliferation” (2015, Metal Blade) and “Detritus of the Final Age” (2020), Harlott show on “Exsequiis” their steady course toward more substantial changes: thunder up front, gradual melodic revelation after, and a complete experience for lovers of the riff. A very good addition to the modern thrash scene — with the same intensity as their compatriots In Malice’s Wake.
See also
Death Angel – Returning to Europe with Act III in full · Exumer – Death Mask Messiah
