EXUMER have released "Allocated Savagery," the latest single from Death Mask Messiah, the German thrash veterans' first studio album in seven years. It arrives August 28 via Metal Blade Records.
The track takes on one of the ugliest episodes in modern American history. Vocalist Mem V. Stein built the lyrics around the 1993 standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidians outside Waco, Texas, revisiting it three decades on.
"'Allocated Savagery' delivers a brutal musical and lyrical account of the event," Mem said. "The track captures the intensity of the confrontation with the ATF, while reflecting on themes of misinformation and division that still resonate today."
That framing runs through the whole record. Death Mask Messiah is conceptually rooted in the last decade of US politics, the pandemic, and the weaponisation of misinformation to widen cultural fault lines — with Waco serving as the historical anchor point rather than an isolated subject.
Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, the album was produced by Dominic Paraskevopoulos (KREATOR, CALIBAN) and mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, KING DIAMOND). Its 11 songs push toward a blunter, more direct attack than its predecessors, with guitarists Ray Mensh and Marc B. writing to a sequence that mirrors the lyrical narrative.
It is also the first EXUMER album cut with drummer Jerome Reil and bassist Alex Voss. "You can feel their young energy, coupled with our trademark aggression and experience," Mem said. "The band sounds more focused and yet raw, thanks to their addition to the lineup."
Mem sees the timing as more than coincidence. "I think we are heading toward a thrash renaissance, with legacy bands like us, EXODUS and KREATOR dropping new albums, and younger bands becoming very popular with younger fans." On the seven-year gap, he is unapologetic: "It's always quality over quantity for EXUMER, and we hope and believe people appreciate that approach."
The album closes with a nod to an old debt — a cover of NASTY SAVAGE's "Unchained Angel" featuring the American band's own Nasty Ronnie Galletti on vocals. EXUMER supported NASTY SAVAGE on their first European tour back in 1988.
Cover art and layout come from Björn Gooßes of Killustrations (SODOM, VOMITORY). The album is out on CD digipak, digital, and vinyl in 180g black, "Galaxy" red/black, "Saturn" grey/brown ripple (limited to 250) and "Onyx" black ice with white splatter (limited to 250).
"Death Mask Messiah" track listing:
- Death Mask Messiah
- Blinding Skies
- Sin Bleeder
- Eradication
- Ravishing Waste
- Allocated Savagery
- Serpent
- Fratricide
- Scorcher
- Frozen Ground
- Unchained Angel (NASTY SAVAGE cover feat. Nasty Ronnie)
EXUMER live:
- Oct. 23, 2026 — Nuclear Winter Festival, Hirschaid, Germany
- Nov. 21, 2026 — Alcatraz & Pluto Festival, Deinze, Belgium
- Feb. 20, 2027 — Endzeit Festival, Essen, Germany
- Jul. 26, 2027 — Nackenbrecher Open Air, Teuchern, Germany
Pre-orders are available at metalblade.com/exumer.