Exhorder’s 2021 Slaughter In The Vatican tour isn’t just another concert coming to a venue near you. Instead, it’s an unforgettable music experience that fans will be talking about for years to come. But what makes it so special you ask? Vocalist Kyle Thomas sat down with me to discuss the band’s current tour, as well as the album itself, and of course, food!
Not Just Another Concert: An Inside Look at Exhorder’s 2021 Slaughter In The Vatican Tour with Kyle Thomas
If you could travel back in time to your favorite metal era to see just one band, who would it be? Better yet, if that time machine could transport you to see one album from your favorite metal era performed in its entirety, what record would you choose?
As a heavy music fan, this could be a tough question to answer, especially if you’re a millennial like myself. It’s no secret that metal is very much a “word of mouth” genre when it comes to growth. That’s part of what makes its most celebrated releases so sacred within the community. The downside to this, however, is those iconic releases that new fans may just be discovering usually aren’t being performed live anymore. So we just keep banging our heads in solitude, imagining what it was like while hoping for a miracle…
Then Exhorder announced a 2021 tour, where they’re performing their debut album, Slaughter In The Vatican, in its entirety. And as 90’s baby who LOVES groove metal and Exhorder, I now believe in miracles.
Exhorder: Chapter 2
For Exhorder fans, the past few years have been pretty exciting. After reuniting for live shows in 2017, the band put out their first new album in 27 years, Mourn the Southern Skies, in 2019. And while vocalist Kyle Thomas is the only original member in the current line up, Exhorder is going strong with no signs of stopping. This momentum is evident while they’re on stage for their 2021 Slaughter In the Vatican Tour.
“As always, music- I think no matter which way you do it, the way you commit to doing it- throws a lot of curve balls and ups and downs. But this time around the highs definitely out perform the lows. We’ve had a pandemic to deal with, Covid restrictions, this and that. But what it has taught me is that, once again, you have to be appreciative and thankful for what you got and make the most of every opportunity,” says Kyle.
“So you can’t play shows? Fine. Write music. When it’s time to get out and play the shows, play like you’ve never played one in your life. And as usual, I try to leave it all on the stage because if people are going to come out and bother to see what I do, and really all of us, there’s no point in making them wish that they had stayed home.”
The Exhorder Live Experience
And if Exhorder is coming to a venue near you, you definitely won’t want to stay home. For starters, while the tour is centered around the performance of the full album, Exhorder has other tricks up their sleeves. “We try to make it as much of a true experience to sharing the first album with people. So we’re sprinkling in songs from the other albums too since we’re headlining and the album’s only 45 minutes long. So we’ve got a little extra, so it’s not just ‘wham bam thank you ma’am’ and off you go.”
“I saw King Diamond do that a few years back when he did Abigail in its entirety. I thought it was just going to be start to finish that album and he did a bunch of stuff from other albums and some Mercyful Fate which was spectacular for me. I’m a huge Mercyful Fate fan. I think it’s nicer when you save the album in its entirety for the grand finale. It makes it a little more of a presentation, not just ‘well here you go’ when you could’ve just stayed home and listened to the album.”
So if you’ve never seen Exhorder live before, what should you expect? According to Kyle, “Probably not what you expected. I know we’ve sort of been lumped into primarily a thrash metal genre, but to say that we are a pure thrash metal band I think is an injustice to both thrash metal and what we are and what we stand for. With our early punk roots and just our approaches to the show, we try to present a show as more of an experience than just us out there acting out regurgitated songs over and over again. I really enjoy just kind of having a human experience with an audience. To me that’s like the most important part about doing this.”
“So if you come, you don’t even have to like this kind of music. Nine times out of 10 people will come to me and say ‘I never heard of you guys’ or ‘I came with a friend, or my boyfriend,’ or whatever and ‘I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed the show.’ And that’s what they always tend to say. It was an experience. It wasn’t just a concert. That’s something that I kind of hold dear to my heart and I hope to continue to do,” he adds.
That attitude shines through on stage and its part of what makes this tour so special. When a musician puts that extra TLC into a performance, it creates a truly one of a kind experience that fans remember forever. Exhorder is also a fan oriented band. And that’s not only during their performance, but also outside of it. The band made it a point to interact with concert goers before, during, and after the show. That fan forward approach contributes to creating this unique experience, and it definitely does not go unnoticed.
The Openers
Exhorder’s 2021 Slaughter In The Vatican tour also features an amazingly heavy line up of opening bands: Plague Years, Extinction A.D., and Take Offense. All of which you should start listening to now if you haven’t already. (You can even find one of Extinction A.D.’s latest releases on the current edition of New Music Monthly.) This particular show on 11/28/21 at Crafthouse in Pittsburgh also featured a performance from local metallers Trainwrecked.
At the time of our interview, which was only night 4, the bands were still getting to know each other. But Kyle says being on the road with these 3 other bands has “been pleasant so far for me. You know, I try to go talk with everybody. The days are hectic especially the first day or two just getting everything sorted out. So from what I’ve seen of everybody live and both in person, I’m happy to be out with these bands. They’re quality bands, quality people so, so far so good.” He then adds, jokingly, “Maybe if they don’t hate me by the end of the tour then everything will be good.”
Kyle Thomas: The Man Behind The Music
Based on the experience I had, I’m not sure how anyone could have a negative opinion of Kyle Thomas. You’d think the man that helped pioneer an entire subgenre would be full of himself. Not to mention the fact that he’s also been in a multitude of bands such as Heavy As Texas, Floodgate, and Trouble. But Kyle is actually quite humble and down to earth. When asked if Exhorder knew they were onto something when writing Slaughter, Kyle says, “Not really. I was the youngest one. I was 16 years old and the oldest guy was maybe 21 years old. And we were just writing songs that we wanted to hear.”
“So I think that groove crept into things honestly through just our upbringing in New Orleans with the traditional New Orleans music that, once it gets into your bones when you’re a kid, it’s always there. I think that’s probably what made it so different for us.” He also adds, “our material’s fairly technical when it needs to be. Maybe sometimes when it doesn’t need to be, but we always kind of drop back to those grooves. I think that’s where people are like well we were pioneers. And you know, there were bands that had hints of that here and there. Maybe not quite the way we were doing it, but I think a lot of that’s just geography.”
Beyond the music, that geography also plays into a different area of Kyle’s life: his cooking. Even with just a brief glance at his Instagram, you’ll see a bunch of drool worthy creations. So Kyle Thomas definitely has to be the tour bus chef right? “I wish, really.” says Kyle.
“We don’t have the facilities to really do much cooking. But when we were in rehearsals for Psycho Las Vegas in August, I did most of the cooking for the month. I’d just go get whatever I can get in Ohio that will allow me to cook Louisiana style cooking. Not everything I cook is Creole, but a lot of it is.”
“To me, half the joy I get out of cooking is the joy that it brings to other people. Most of the time when I cook something big, if I eat any its usually towards the end after everybody else has eaten because it’s such a process. But it also makes me appreciate it when someone puts a plate of cooked food in front of me.”
His favorite thing to make?
“I would say boiling crawfish.”
“It’s a ritual. It’s an all day affair. And the communal dining at the table, everyone eating together- Maybe in covid era life it’s not the most ideal thing to do, for everyone to pick from the same plate but that’s never gonna stop, especially where I come from. It’s just what people do. It’s ritual and I just enjoy the freshness of it. Just a hot steaming table full of crawfish, potatoes, corn, garlic, sausage, whatever. That’s the beauty of boiling crawfish. There’s not much else you can’t put in it. You could literally put like pork loin in there and spice it up or a giant can of green beans. Open it up, just [so] that way the water can pass through, pour that out. People throw brussel sprouts, whole chickens…”
“The concept too with putting all the extra stuff in is that it helps the crawfish go further along the way,” he adds. “When it’s just crawfish, it tends to be expensive so you put all the extra stuff in there for additional flavor and all but yeah [also] to help make it a little more well rounded, I guess.”
Lessons Learned
Simply put, Exhorder is a band that will not be stopped. Despite having their fair share of obstacles, including while making Slaughter In The Vatican, the band still manages to come out on top. And with Kyle Thomas also having been in so many different bands, he’s had a variety of experiences in the music industry. When it comes to advice for emerging or newly signed bands, Kyle jokingly says, “Go back to school and sell all of your band equipment! [laughs] No, no, I would never discourage anybody from pursuing it.”
“I do feel for the younger bands that are coming up in a time where it’s really hard to start. It’s harder now I think than ever. You just have to be patient. I think the biggest thing that you could do [is] you always have to sell yourself, but try to remain humble and try to work your way up in a way that’s- don’t forget where you came from, but set your goals high, absolutely. Practice, Practice, Practice!”
What’s To Come
Kyle Thomas recently confirmed Exhorder is working on a new album and in our chat he also stated, “Yes, we have been doing pre-production. [We] got started on it last year not long after everything shut down. And because we don’t all live in the same state, we’re all remotely working on things. And then when we do get together, we try to collaborate on it. So you know it’s evolving from what it starts out [as] in our own homes.”
“The beauty of writing it out together, truly writing it out together, is that everybody feeds off each other. And it keeps everybody honest. I like it that way so, and that’s the way it should be,” he adds.
The future looks bright for Exhorder fans. And if the band continues to keep the energy and attitude they had at their Pittsburgh show, that fan base will only continue to grow. Because when it comes to the actual music itself, Exhorder has perfected the secret sauce for 31+ years and counting.
Exhorder Slaughter In The Vatican 2021 Tour Dates
Make sure to catch Kyle Thomas and Exhorder on the road with Take Offense, Extinction A.D., Plague Years on the remaining tour dates below! Tickets are available here.
12/02/2021 Southport Music Hall – New Orleans, LA
12/03/2021 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
12/04/2021 The Rail Club – Ft. Worth, TX
12/05/2021 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
12/06/2021 Rock House Bar – El Paso, TX
12/07/2021 Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ
12/08/2021 1720 – Los Angeles, CA
12/09/2021 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
12/10/2021 1933 – Bakersfield, CA
12/11/2021 Dive Bar – Las Vegas, NV
12/12/2021 The Phoenix Theater – Petaluma, CA
12/14/2021 Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR
12/15/2021 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
12/16/2021 The Shredder – Boise, ID
12/17/2021 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
12/18/2021 Moxi Theater – Greeley, CO
12/19/2021 Marquis Theater – Denver, CO
Exhorder consists of:
Vocals: Kyle Thomas
Guitar: Marzi Montazeri
Bass: Jason VieBrooks
Drums: Sasha Horn
[All photos taken by Courtnee Gault at Exhorder’s 11/28/21 show in Pittsburgh, PA]
Special Thank You!
A very special thank you to Kyle Thomas, Marzi Montazeri, Jason VieBrooks, and Sasha Horn for allowing me to cover this and get an in-depth look at their process. And a super huge thank you to tour manager, Elizabeth, and crew member, Sam, for helping to coordinate everything!
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