Exhorder’s Kyle Thomas: Cannibal Corpse’s Pat O’Brien is the “Randy Rhoads of Extreme Music”

New Orleans classic rippers Exhorder have reestablished their lineup with Pat O’Brien of Cannibal Corpse fame on guitar, and according to vocalist Kyle Thomas, that’s breathed new life into the band on their new album Defectum Omnium.

In a recent interview with Blabbermouth, Thomas praised O’Brien as a bandmate and as a contributor, citing his work ethic and ability to be “cool as the other side of the pillow.”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever met a more chill human. [O’Brien] sat there quietly on this little practice guitar with nylon strings. It barely makes noise, but you can hear [mimics Pat’s guitar] the whole time. My daughter slept all day. [Laughs] She didn’t make any noise. It’s comfortable and peaceful. Yes, it’s nice.”

Thomas elaborated further, talking about how great it is to have such a beast of a soloist in the band.

“Pat did the solos—I can’t wait for people to hear what he did. I think he’s probably having a resurgence as a lead player. I always tell people, ‘He’s the Randy Rhoads of extreme music.’ I’m not exaggerating—he’s that good. Go listen to the stuff with Cannibal Corpse and Nevermore. It’s different from what we do, but he fits each project perfectly for what it’s designed for. I think when he got to us, he wasn’t sure he should do it more with a Cannibal Corpse approach. He was scratching his head, then Jason told him, ‘Listen to the first five Scorpions records and come into the studio, and it will be great.’”

Clearly, Exhorder are stoked about the star power on board in the form of O’Brien, and early reviews suggest the fans are excited about this pairing as well. Hopefully this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership.