Here we have another relative new band, formed in 2020 in Gallagher, West Virginia, USA. EXECUTIONIST is a Death/Thrash Metal band that after having released their first EP in 2021 (“Destined For Destruction”) has found the time right to bring us a full-length album, which they named “Sacrament of the Sick”. And they haven’t done their thing by halves, as the total time of the album is 53:38 minutes.

Musically the band gets their influences from all over the place, but I have to say that for the riffing SLAYER and EXODUS have played a big part in the development of the sound that EXECUTIONIST is treating us to. As for the songwriting, that is a real mix between Thrash and Death Metal, and yes, in that order. For the sound they produce, they have opted for a production that will take you back to the second half of the eighties and the first half of the nineties, when a lot of bands didn’t have the desire and/or the money to get to perfect production, so opted to sound just that little more low key.

What does help is the voice of Brett Ash. He shouts out his lyrics in a rather higher voice than most singers in this genre, but what he does really perfectly fits in with the overall sound. Not only that, even through the gravel of his dictations, you are able to recognise and understand every word that he spits out throughout “Sacrament of the Sick”. And that is very commendable, as it allows the audience to try and wreck their own vocal chords when they decide to shout along during live shows.

That is, if they take time out from banging your heads, because that is another thing that EXECUTIONIST has made sure of; every song has a tempo you can headbang to without endangering yourself in a way that will result in your head distancing itself from your torso. This doesn’t mean they play slow, but it does mean that it never goes too fast. Here comes the but in the whole review; for me 53:38 minutes is too long for a first encounter. That would have been okay if the variety of the songs was much bigger. Now the songs on offer sound too much like each other. That is a pity, but it shouldn’t keep you from trying to discover EXECUTIONIST. Just start in smaller doses.