Exciter New Testament
Osmose Productions June 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Theres really no need to re-record older material. Theres just no reason to do it. Testaments First Strike Still Deadly was a relatively pointless exercise, and Exciters New Testament is more of the same. Its not to say that any of the songs within the latter disc are bad. No, some are far from it. But why not spend the time recording a brand new studio album?
Rising of the Dead starts us off by providing operatic vocals, both high-pitched and melodic. The instrumental sections are well done as each member seems to be rhythmically sound. And, the leads have a way of demanding attention. Granted it all does feel a bit hokey though. Were then ushered through Violence and Force, Rule with an Iron Fist, Rain of Terror, among others. The albums length clocks in at close to seventy minutes, which makes it a worthwhile purchase for fanatics.
Quite a number of tracks on New Testament are upwards of twenty years old. So, predictably, this slab sounds dated. The musicianship is adequate; I mean this isnt Cynic or anyone like that. Most tunes are dull, but nostalgia does tend to be priceless. Those of you who fondly remember Exciter will probably enjoy this record. Plenty of their classics are represented here and the material would set nicely against releases by Accept, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. The only way I can recommend this, however, is as a throwback to earlier days.
5/10
Official Exciter label-page website
Official Osmose Productions website
Osmose Productions June 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Theres really no need to re-record older material. Theres just no reason to do it. Testaments First Strike Still Deadly was a relatively pointless exercise, and Exciters New Testament is more of the same. Its not to say that any of the songs within the latter disc are bad. No, some are far from it. But why not spend the time recording a brand new studio album?
Rising of the Dead starts us off by providing operatic vocals, both high-pitched and melodic. The instrumental sections are well done as each member seems to be rhythmically sound. And, the leads have a way of demanding attention. Granted it all does feel a bit hokey though. Were then ushered through Violence and Force, Rule with an Iron Fist, Rain of Terror, among others. The albums length clocks in at close to seventy minutes, which makes it a worthwhile purchase for fanatics.
Quite a number of tracks on New Testament are upwards of twenty years old. So, predictably, this slab sounds dated. The musicianship is adequate; I mean this isnt Cynic or anyone like that. Most tunes are dull, but nostalgia does tend to be priceless. Those of you who fondly remember Exciter will probably enjoy this record. Plenty of their classics are represented here and the material would set nicely against releases by Accept, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. The only way I can recommend this, however, is as a throwback to earlier days.
5/10
Official Exciter label-page website
Official Osmose Productions website
"Long Live the Loud" to this day remains one of my favorite records of all time...just superb power/thrash metal, the way it should be done! 
