EXHORDER Guitarist Says Fans Who Bought 'Slaughter In The Vatican' Album Were 'Screwed'

Guitarist Vinnie LaBella of the reactivated legendary New Orleans metallers EXHORDER — cited by many as the originators of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA (photo) — has issued the following update:

"Brothers and sisters of EXHORDER… YOU HAVE BEEN SCREWED!

"Yo, people, I am here to inform you that you have been cheated, duped, robbed! Of what, you may ask. Well, have you ever wondered why everyone who owns a 'Slaughter in the Vatican' demo (recorded in 1987) says it sounds and feels a million times better than the actual album released by our former employer? IT'S BECAUSE IT'S FUCKIN' TRUE! So the question now is why did this happen and who is responsible? The songs on the 1991 release are not what WE intended to put out. The project was given a shitty budget, it was rushed at every facet and we were forced to use Scott Burns as the producer who at the time was leading the new death metal movement that was taking place. Don't get me wrong — Scott was a great guy but we didn't want our record to sound like SEPULTURA, DEATH and so on… and it did. Shit… we weren't even allowed to use our own guitar rigs. We were talked in to using the same exact rig that SEPULTURA used for 'Beneath the Remains'. Even the fuckin' snare sound was sampled off of 'Beneath the Remains'. When we got home with that piece of shit, I could barely listen to it. Even our second record, 'The Law', while the production was a thousand times better than 'Slaughter in the Vatican' it was still rushed and not what we intended to give you… the people. So again the question must be asked… who is responsible for treating what was at the time our very life's work like some kind of two-dollar hooker? I think you know the answer to that, and the muthafuckas reading this know who the fuck they are, too! Oh, and while you're reading, read this… you fucks can kiss my fuckin' ass and if you see me comin', you would do well to turn the other fuckin' way!

"NOW… We intend to give back what was stolen from you but not without your help. Ya see, we have decided to re-record some of those old songs so we can give them the love and attention they deserved. Along with our new material, we want to redo six or seven old songs on the new disc and we want YOU to decide which ones will be done.

"So write back to us and tell us which ones you want to hear and your wish shall be our command."

EXHORDERs 2008 lineup is as follows:

Kyle Thomas - Vocals
Vinnie Labella - Guitar
Jay Ceravolo - Guitar
Chris Nail - Drums

Poland's Metal Mind Productions re-released the two albums (1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law") from EXHORDER on May 19 in Europe (July 8 in the USA via MVD). Each limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) was made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.

Rare video footage of EXHORDER putting the finishing touches on their classic debut album, "Slaughter in the Vatican", in August 1990 at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida can be viewed below.

Several live video clips from EXHORDER's 1998 reunion show have been posted online. These three clips are from August 14, 1998 and were filmed at a club called Zeppelin's in Metairie, Louisiana (although the clips are labeled "NOLA"). This was the second appearance they made as the reunited EXHORDER (the first was at Tipitana's in New Orleans a few weeks earlier). The band got up and did these three songs after Kyle Thomas' band FLOODGATE finished their set that night. Watch the clips at YouTube:

"Homicide" (video)
"Anal Lust" (video)
"Legions of Death" (video)

EXHORDER's lineup that night was as follows:

Kyle Thomas - Vocals
Vinnie Labella - Guitar
Jay Ceravolo - Guitar
Chris Nail - Drums
Kevin Thomas (Kyle's brother) - Bass

Watch video footage of EXHORDER being "forced" to work at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida in August 1990: