Fire & damnation - Exumer - CD & T-Shirt

Even when it seemed to be over at the end of the 80s, I had the feeling that those songs couldn't be the last sound I'd hear from Exumer. After all, Mem V.Stein and his bunch had launched their two more than remarkable Thrash rockets "Possessed by fire" (1986) and "Rising from the sea" (1987) which left the German Metal scene in awe. Be that as it may - shortly after those releases, things came to a halt: an obvious case of "Unfinished business". But lo and behold, Exumer are back, delivering "Fire & damnation", their third output which picks up where the aforementioned left. You can easily recognise the red thread - now, the Thrash Metal trilogy is finally complete.
Singer Mem V. Stein agrees with my interpretation of the situation: "Indeed, we intended the new album to pick up where "Possessed by fire" and "Rising from the sea" left. The style hasn't changed that much, but of course you can hear that we have matured and that we play better than 25 years ago. The idea was to keep up the spirit from the past but to present something more contemporary. I hope we succeeded - I think we did." I can only confirm that.
A considerable part of that feat has been producer Waldemar Sorychta - Mem's opinion: "Waldemar was a big help for us and the right man at the right time by all means. He was able to get the best from us without dictating any rules regarding our style. That is extremely important to us, and I think that is also the reason why the reactions to the album have been very positive so far." After such a long break between two albums it must have been difficult for Exumer to catch up. I imagine the risk of being a mere copycat of themselves (be it consciously or unconsciously) must have been pretty high. Mem, though, sees the humorous side of the circumstances: "The risk for us wasn't that high because we hadn't been active for more than two decades. But, jokes aside, of course you have to pay attention, it shouldn't get too boring, but I think you still can release good albums as long as you commit yourself to the process with love and passion."
Well, one thing is sure: "Fire & damnation" is brimming with love and passion. Exumer didn't make it to the total top in the 80s - maybe due to several reasons, one of them being the fact that they didn't stick to their stuff long enough. Ok, Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction held the top positions, but the second row, among others taken by Tankard, Darkness, Iron Angel, or Holy Moses, would have been a surefire bet for Exumer. Mem on the status of his band: "I think - and correct me if I'm wrong - that Exumer have always had something unique. Maybe we don't sound like bands from Germany or the USA, although you can clearly hear that we're influenced by Exodus and Slayer. But you can recognise much more in our sound than the two I just mentioned. I sense that and I think others sense that, too. So, I'd rather not go ahead and typecast us as representatives of this or that style."