Review by Nathan on April 22, 2022.

This is a debut album, but this French group is by no means made up of novices, featuring known scene veterans Eloi Nicod and Thomas Hennequin. The former helped put one of the better tech-death albums of 2021 out with The Scalar Process, and the latter has many credits to his name over the past decade or so, the most notable of which would be Aosoth and Merrimack, with some live performances for Antaeus sprinkled in.

Normally I'd be wary of newer musicians attempting such a refined, uncompromising style, but Dawohl brings a fresh, tasty voice to the Marduk/Angelcorpse school of blastbeat-overloaded black/death metal. It takes all of 3 seconds for the presence of a song to be felt, with the nicely balanced production job (great fucking drum tones on here!) allowing the maelstrom to effortlessly glide through your eardrums. The tempo shifts (I would call them "breakdowns" but it doesn't seem fitting for a band in this style) are placed perfectly and are almost guaranteed to get your head nodding.

In a style like this, it can be hard for bands to create a distinct feeling that makes them stand out. Dawohl overcomes this hurdle by having a surprisingly discernible melodic undercurrent in their songs - though it's all couched in an overwhelming maelstrom of speed, guitar lines have a very clear path that can be followed, with occasional traces of mid-period Watain in the higher register melodies. Though everything's right in your face, the production and songwriting is very tight and streamlined, which is why I can listen to Leviathan all the way through and still feel like I have enough energy for another go. I don't always want a Concrete Winds-esque waveform brick to the face, because that can leave me feeling completely overstimulated and exhausted at times - this strikes a better balance between unhinged ferocity and tasteful song construction.

This stands out among a sea of cacophonous but indiscernible speedfreaks, but I expected no less going in - Dolorem Records has been quietly making a name for themselves by curating some of the tastiest blasturbation coming out of France right now. Nephren-Ka, Creeping Fear, Huronian and Storm Upon the Masses have all put out great stuff, and the label doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down either (musically or productively). Get on them before they get too trendy and sell out of all their merch!

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 10, 2022.

Exciter are among those bands (like Flotsam And Jetsam to name just the best known example) which have to battle with their own glorious past. Their curvy development is a good example for a lot of other more or less extreme metal groups. At the beginning of their career they released spectacular thrash / speed albums (from "Heavy Metal Maniac" till "Long Live the Loud") before they or their management unnecessarily decided to change direction in order to achieve greater commercial success. After this change had proved to be false, the band tried to restart while reanimating their early metal style. Unfortunately, the Canadians had to learn painfully that it is impossible to make a trip into the past - quite apart from countless line-up changes. They returned to the mixture of thrash and speed, but what looked alike turned out not to be the same.

This applies in particular if, as in the present case, the rumbling production fails to perform its duty. I don´t want to speak of an undefined sound mush, nevertheless, the album sounds like a low budget work and the songs can´t develop their full striking force. I can´t understand how this could happen, because I thought that all band members are professionals who are highly aware of the importance of a powerful sound. The cover is a flop, too. Not just because it strongly reminds one of the back cover of Krokus´ "Headhunter", but also because it looks cheap and done lovelessly without having any apparent relation to the title of the album.

Fortunately, the music speaks for itself without taking account of these circumstances. Exciter unleash a formidable headbanging mania right from the beginning of the opener. The new vocalist Kenny Winter does not sound too shrill and he manages the deep tones, too. Nevertheless, he does not have this special charisma that Beehler had in the early days. The rest of the team fulfills its duty, which is not a huge challenge due to the simple song structures that avoid tempo changes and complicated rhythms. This does not mean that the songs are boring in any way. To put it in positive terms, they get straight to the point and are clearly structured. Successful examples of this are killer tracks like the title cut or the even more prominent "Demon´s Gate". Admittedly, it is certainly no coincidence that I highlight this very dynamic song, because its aggressive riffing reminds me of the fantastic title cut of "Violence & Force" in the most pleasant way. Moreover, it seems to me that these songs are twins and Exciter just kept "Demon´s Gate" hidden for more than 20 years. I regret the fact that not all of the songs share the rapid pace of this tune, but however, the fast "Massacre Mountain" constitutes a good choice for a representative opener, also with regard to its simple chorus that is effectively supported with backing vocals. The slow or mid-paced songs, for example "Evil Omen", interrupt the speed inferno without any loss in quality, while the lyrics of all pieces deal with the usual topics. Everybody knows what to expect after reading the song titles, so that there is no reason for a deeper analysis.

It would be an exaggeration to speak of a late masterpiece, but Exciter deliver a coherent album with powerful songs that would have doubtlessly deserved a better production. Nevertheless, it is just good to know that John Ricci still remains true to himself. But it is a pity for a sentimental guy like me that neither Dan Beehler nor Allan Johnson were involved in this tradition-conscious output.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by JD on January 11, 2009.

This band basically were the straight out godfathers of Thrash Metal in Canada... along with others like Infernal Majesty and Razor in the 80's. I was one of their biggest fans, and saw them once when they had played in my home town at the height of their popularity back then. Now, I sort have been let down as I hear this new album.

"Thrash, Speed, Burn" was sort of a great name for the new album, although Exciter were probably not thinking of it in the way I am. The band does still very much 'Thrash'... very good in fact, showing that time has not deadened the power that this amazing quartet has shown over the two decades plus they have been around.. Next is the word 'Speed', and is referenced thorough the fact that they do have major riff capabilities in a big way. They can still play at an amazing rate of speed, showing that they all have became very accomplished at what they were doing through out the years. Sadly the last word in the album title, 'Burn', described that even with all of this constant and very amazing talent they still hold, the album as a whole just seems to fizzle out and tragically dies. The album had great potential for an amazing sort of comeback for the Canuck thrashers, despite sounding a little dated throughout... the album just seems to not stay with me and makes me hungry to hear more from them from the past. I am unsure of exactly what it is with this album, but it just seems to never get going.

Exciter might get some new fans, and some of them will go back and revisit some of their older releases (I would recommend the classic LP "Violence And Force")... but for a old thrasher like me who remembers the early scene, "Thrash, Speed, Burn" was simply a more than just little disappointing. It was a let down, but not a out and out heartbreaker either. We will just say it was sadly average and leave it at that.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 6
Originality: 6
Overall: 5

Rating: 5.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 10, 2022.

Exciter are among those bands (like Flotsam And Jetsam to name just the best known example) which have to battle with their own glorious past. Their curvy development is a good example for a lot of other more or less extreme metal groups. At the beginning of their career they released spectacular thrash / speed albums (from "Heavy Metal Maniac" till "Long Live the Loud") before they or their management unnecessarily decided to change direction in order to achieve greater commercial success. After this change had proved to be false, the band tried to restart while reanimating their early metal style. Unfortunately, the Canadians had to learn painfully that it is impossible to make a trip into the past - quite apart from countless line-up changes. They returned to the mixture of thrash and speed, but what looked alike turned out not to be the same.

This applies in particular if, as in the present case, the rumbling production fails to perform its duty. I don´t want to speak of an undefined sound mush, nevertheless, the album sounds like a low budget work and the songs can´t develop their full striking force. I can´t understand how this could happen, because I thought that all band members are professionals who are highly aware of the importance of a powerful sound. The cover is a flop, too. Not just because it strongly reminds one of the back cover of Krokus´ "Headhunter", but also because it looks cheap and done lovelessly without having any apparent relation to the title of the album.

Fortunately, the music speaks for itself without taking account of these circumstances. Exciter unleash a formidable headbanging mania right from the beginning of the opener. The new vocalist Kenny Winter does not sound too shrill and he manages the deep tones, too. Nevertheless, he does not have this special charisma that Beehler had in the early days. The rest of the team fulfills its duty, which is not a huge challenge due to the simple song structures that avoid tempo changes and complicated rhythms. This does not mean that the songs are boring in any way. To put it in positive terms, they get straight to the point and are clearly structured. Successful examples of this are killer tracks like the title cut or the even more prominent "Demon´s Gate". Admittedly, it is certainly no coincidence that I highlight this very dynamic song, because its aggressive riffing reminds me of the fantastic title cut of "Violence & Force" in the most pleasant way. Moreover, it seems to me that these songs are twins and Exciter just kept "Demon´s Gate" hidden for more than 20 years. I regret the fact that not all of the songs share the rapid pace of this tune, but however, the fast "Massacre Mountain" constitutes a good choice for a representative opener, also with regard to its simple chorus that is effectively supported with backing vocals. The slow or mid-paced songs, for example "Evil Omen", interrupt the speed inferno without any loss in quality, while the lyrics of all pieces deal with the usual topics. Everybody knows what to expect after reading the song titles, so that there is no reason for a deeper analysis.

It would be an exaggeration to speak of a late masterpiece, but Exciter deliver a coherent album with powerful songs that would have doubtlessly deserved a better production. Nevertheless, it is just good to know that John Ricci still remains true to himself. But it is a pity for a sentimental guy like me that neither Dan Beehler nor Allan Johnson were involved in this tradition-conscious output.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by JD on January 11, 2009.

This band basically were the straight out godfathers of Thrash Metal in Canada... along with others like Infernal Majesty and Razor in the 80's. I was one of their biggest fans, and saw them once when they had played in my home town at the height of their popularity back then. Now, I sort have been let down as I hear this new album.

"Thrash, Speed, Burn" was sort of a great name for the new album, although Exciter were probably not thinking of it in the way I am. The band does still very much 'Thrash'... very good in fact, showing that time has not deadened the power that this amazing quartet has shown over the two decades plus they have been around.. Next is the word 'Speed', and is referenced thorough the fact that they do have major riff capabilities in a big way. They can still play at an amazing rate of speed, showing that they all have became very accomplished at what they were doing through out the years. Sadly the last word in the album title, 'Burn', described that even with all of this constant and very amazing talent they still hold, the album as a whole just seems to fizzle out and tragically dies. The album had great potential for an amazing sort of comeback for the Canuck thrashers, despite sounding a little dated throughout... the album just seems to not stay with me and makes me hungry to hear more from them from the past. I am unsure of exactly what it is with this album, but it just seems to never get going.

Exciter might get some new fans, and some of them will go back and revisit some of their older releases (I would recommend the classic LP "Violence And Force")... but for a old thrasher like me who remembers the early scene, "Thrash, Speed, Burn" was simply a more than just little disappointing. It was a let down, but not a out and out heartbreaker either. We will just say it was sadly average and leave it at that.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 6
Originality: 6
Overall: 5

Rating: 5.8 out of 10