Exhorder

Photo: leokreissig.de for Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

CountryUnited States
Formed1985
StatusActive
GenreGroove metal, Thrash metal
LabelNuclear Blast

Exhorder are the New Orleans thrash band whose early records helped shape groove metal. They have released four studio albums, among them Defectum Omnium in 2024.

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Exhorder were formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the mid-1980s by singer Kyle Thomas and guitarist Vinnie LaBella. Signed to Roadrunner Records, they released Slaughter in the Vatican in 1990 and The Law in 1992, two records whose heavy, mid-paced thrash is often cited as an early blueprint for groove metal.

The band split in 1994, reunited between 2008 and 2011, and returned for good in 2017. A deal with Nuclear Blast led to Mourn the Southern Skies in September 2019, their first album in 27 years. LaBella left in February 2020, leaving Thomas as the only founding member, and he has also handled rhythm guitar since 2022.

Defectum Omnium, the band’s fourth studio album, was released on 8 March 2024 via Nuclear Blast. In November 2025 Exhorder began work on a fifth album, and in March 2026 longtime drummer Sasha Horn departed, with Corey Pierce of God Forbid stepping in.

Current line-up: Kyle Thomas (vocals, rhythm guitar), Pat O’Brien (lead guitar), Jason VieBrooks (bass), Corey Pierce (drums, touring)