Exhorder have put all rumors to rest by announcing former Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O’Brien is an official member of the NOLA metal outfit. The 58-year-old artist shocked the metal world in December 2018 with his arrest for burglary, alleged conspiracy theories, and more. Six years later, the guitarist is looking ahead with new beginnings, where he’s been a touring member of Exhorder since May 2022 shortly after Marzi Montazeri left the group, and now has plans for a potential solo project. Earlier today (19th), Exhorder set the record straight with the following statement on their social media: 

“We have been getting a lot of questions asked about whether or not Pat O’Brien is a permanent member of Exhorder, or if he will perform with us when we play Latin America in December/February. The good news is Pat is our guy. He wants to be in this band moving forward and we want him with us as long as he wants to be. Unfortunately, he is still sorting out his travel restrictions, and is limited to shows in the United States at this time. Therefore, we are fortunate that our friend and brother, Waldemar Sorychta is once again stepping up to help us bring the show to you all in Latin America! But even though Pat is not present on social media, he has given us a statement to share with you all.”

The group included a direct statement from O’Brien:

“I am in Exhorder and will be contributing as well moving forward. I will also be on tour with the band when I’m permitted to. I also will be doing a solo project at some point but no solid plans on that as of yet.”

Today’s announcement comes one week after the band revealed details on their new album, Defectum Omnium, out March 8th via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2019’s Mourn the Southern Skies marks the NOLA groove thrashers overall fourth record, with the first two released in 1992 and 1990. To celebrate the announcement, the group shared a video for the album’s first single, “Year of the Goat.” 

Vocalist/guitarist Kyle Thomas comments:

“It’s been quite a journey for Exhorder since the 2019 release of ‘Mourn the Southern Skies’. Lineup changes as well as the 2020-2021 pandemic and lockdown presented hurdles that weren’t easy to overcome. But we persevered, kept our heads down and went to work with intense focus and real goals. One of those goals was to bring our fourth full length album to our fan base. ‘Defectum Omnium’ is a collaborative effort in songwriting, much as it was in the early days of Exhorder. We produced it ourselves, as we felt no need or desire to bring in anyone from the outside based upon our shared vision. It was also important to us not only to continue the natural progression this band has been in since the early 90’s, but to put a foot back into our roots. The influence punk and hardcore had on this band from getting our start in the New Orleans punk rock scene has a strong presence. We’ve also made sure to keep plenty of our thrash roots as well in our songwriting process. 

But we have also managed to keep our doom roots alive, which first surfaced on the song ‘(Cadence of) the Dirge’ back in 1992. In fact, on one new song we have guest appearances by Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin from Trouble, and they absolutely killed it! 

From the time that we began pre-production until the actual release date, we can promise you that every bit of ‘Defectum Omnium’ was crafted with great care, and we are really excited about it! Our goal was to make an album that WE loved and gives the experience of a journey, or maybe even a rollercoaster ride effect. We can’t wait to share it with the world!”

On the single, Thomas adds:

“Our debut single ‘Year of the Goat’ is a fast paced, chugging piece in the spirit of the influence that Motörhead had on punk rock bands like Charged GBH and The Exploited. The lyrical approach is a throwback to early Exhorder attitude, and we had a ton of fun filming the video at a free show that we performed in the greater Cincinnati area. 2024 is the year of the goat!!!””

Following the forthcoming release, Exhorder will join forces with Vio-Lence, Deceased, and Mortal Wound for a spring tour. In a 2019 Metal Insider interview with Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse), he expressed high praise for O’Brien, stating, “Pat O’Brien is one of the best guitar players in death metal, in metal period, and a really good friend of mine.” The outlook for the former Cannibal Corpse guitarist in 2024 remains to be seen but appears positive thus far.

Watch the clip below and pre-order the album here: 

Track List:

01) Wrath of Prophecies

02) Under the Gaslight

03) Forever and Beyond Despair

04) The Tale of Unsound Minds

05) Divide and Conquer

06) Year of the Goat

07) Taken by Flames

08) Defectum Omnium / Stolen Hope

09) Three Stages of Truth / Lacing the Well

10) Sedition

11) Desensitized

12) Your Six