I recall reviewing Exumer’s two previous releases, 2016’s Raging Tides and 2019’s Hostile Defiance and finding both high-quality Thrash Metal. Well, seven years later, the Germans have delivered the goods once more with their latest release, Death Mask Messiah, hitting every mark I would expect from an unsung outfit from the German Thrash movement.
Exumer – Death Mask Messiah
Release Date: 28 August 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
Born in the 1980s movement that saw the emergence of titans Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Tankard, Exumer’s 1986 debut Possessed By Fire is rightly rated as a Thrash classic. After several stops and restarts, the band has been active since 2008, with original members Mem Von Stein and Ray Mensh still behind the wheel.
I have struggled with much Thrash Metal that has been released in recent years. A couple of the big boys have released average albums this year, with all eyes and ears focused on the soon-to-be-released Anthrax release.
Yet below the surface, bands such as Exumer have managed to retain a cutting edge that is absent in so many releases.
Death Mark Messiah really does not reinvent the wheel. What it does is bring a contemporary sound to a traditionally ’80s Thrash approach. The production is crisp without being over-polished, allowing the rawness to be retained. The songs here are visceral, sharp, and to the point. 42 minutes of locked-in Thrash Metal with a muscular edge works in my book.
There are hooks aplenty. Stein’s vocals have plenty of rasp and rage, catchy enough to get inside the ear and linger long enough to become earworms. It has an organic yet old-school feel that starts with the blistering title track and is relentless until the final bars of closing song Unchained Angel.
Two new members make their debut here. Bassist Alex Voss and drummer Jerome Reil hit the ground running, the engine room of the band solidly anchoring the riffs of Mensh and co-guitarist Marc Bräutigam.
It is an album that feels real. Yes, old-school with plenty of classic-style gang chants and formulaic patterns. But beneath it all, tracks such as Sin Bleeder, Eradication and Allocated Savagery do everything you need.
“When everything is done, and you hear the end result, you feel proud, because this is real music, done by real people,” Stein says. “No AI bullshit, no file sharing. It’s still real stuff.”
He is spot on. This is real music by real musicians.
Thematically, a deeper listen reveals that Exumer and lyricist Stein focus on the chaos of modern US politics and the 1993 Waco siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Texas, where 76 people, including 28 children, died.
“David Koresh was a false prophet and wore a death mask, manipulating and leading his followers to certain death,” Stein says. “However, the misinformation that the federal government used in the ’90s is the same playbook that is being used today and is the common denominator between leadership in the past and present.”
It is a sobering reflection of the world today and reinforces the fact that this genre is often more politically versed and astute than any other.
Exumer is one clever band. With slicing riffs and powerful songs that drive forward with real energy and venom, there is something reassuring to know that amidst the bullshit going on around us, at least one German band is still making a stand and doing it with a quality that is pleasing to all who truly love their Thrash.
Exumer release Death Mask Messiah on 28 August 2026. For more details, visit metalblade.com/exumer.
