Fairytale of Perversion - Exeloume - 2011

The most-excellent New Wave of Thrash Metal blog is a goldmine of leads into new, exciting and obscure thrash metal. On the site's February 24 Weekend Breakdown post I was immediately taken with the unmistakable Ed Repka artwork gracing the cover for Exeloume's Fairytale of Perversion and, frankly, the sound of the record was secondary in my decision to add this album to my collection. I knew nothing of Exeloume prior to the NWOTM blog post and know little more of them as I write this aside from a quick scan at the band's Facebook page to see any prior entries in their discography (a couple of demos only) but this is a band I would definitely follow to check out any subsequent records

The production of  Fairytale of Perversion is an instant success. There's a heavy, powerful sound present that doesn't sacrifice clarity for mud. When I put the album on I immediately though, for some reason, of Testament's "The Preacher," one of my favorites from The New Order. I was pretty surprised when I threw that record on and the two sounded so very different. There's some shared thrash DNA element buried deep that strikes a chord with this listener and, because I am always compelled to compare the new with what I know, I somehow blend that early Testament with the deathly elements of Entombed's Clandestine to say, "if you dig those, you'll like this." None of which is to say Exeloume do not necessarily stand on their own. Like the superb Havok, Exeloume seem in no way embarrassed to acknowledge - nor do they overdress - historical influences but instead distill the finer elements for a sound that is so very satisfyingly crushing. The thrash and death influences are neatly layered and intertwine and alternate effectively across Fairytale of Perversion. Melody is neither abandoned nor obscured and is instead celebrated. Magnificent leads from André Ulriksen punctuate most numbers and leave this listener in a "classic" metal reverie. Add in a guest spot on "Ignorance is Bliss" from King Diamond Guitar God Andy LaRoque and you have a debut that is, if not particularly unique, at least a hell of a lot of heavy, heavy fun. And that alone is rare enough a quality to make Fairytale of Perversion a solid recommendation (Thanks, NWOTM!).