EVER FANTASIZE ABOUT KILLING YOUR BOSS? SO DO XERATH.

Ever since Anso DF raved about Xerath when he took over the site for a couple of days while Axl and I were off cavorting with Colombian druglords out of town in April, I’ve been hooked. Here’s Sir Studliness DF himself on the stealth, baby aardvark-impaling qualities of their new album II:

Xerath [fuse] slamming prog-tinged death metal with soaring, tasteful film score symphonics. For some bands, this melange may stay a gimmick, an excuse to be so-so on the strength of their slick band concept. Not here. Xerath is awesome at it, and II is equal parts high drama and snug, well-built riffage.

No Clean Singing’s always dependable Islander agrees, likening his Xerath listening experience to “scaling the fence at a commercial airport, dashing out onto the tarmac, leaping up behind a big plane, and sticking your head in the back end of a jet engine just as the aircraft takes off.” I’m not sure I share Islander’s fantasy of being burnt to a crisp, but I do share his love of Xerath’s new video for “Reform III.” The video itself isn’t anything amazing — I could’ve done with less storyline and more shred footage — but it’s engaging enough as a cinematic piece and serves as the perfect excuse to post about and listen to the band’s music.

Amazingly, all of Xerath’s new album II is still streaming for full here. Get on it before they read this and it’s pulled!

-VN