Guitarist PAT O'BRIEN (EXHORDER, ex CANNIBAL CORPSE) is planning solo project
23-01-2024
Former CANNIBAL CORPSE and current EXHORDER guitarist Pat O’Brien has announced plans to work on a solo project.
The 58-year-old musician, who made headlines in December 2018 when he was arrested for burglary and assaulting a police officer while his Florida home was in flames, touched upon some of his future plans while addressing his status with EXHORDER, the pioneering New Orleans thrash metal band that he has been a touring member of since May 2022.
In a statement shared on EXHORDER‘s social media, Pat said: “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.”
EXHORDER also commented on O’Brien‘s involvement in the band, writing in a separate statement: “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 (GRIP INC.) is once again stepping up to help us bring the show to you all in Latin America! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on tour soon!”
O’Brien made his live debut with EXHORDER at the 2022 Maryland Deathfest. The gig took place three months after guitarist Marzi Montazeri left EXHORDER, explaining at the time in a statement that he “decided to no longer be a part of it.”
When O’Brien was arrested more than five years ago, police said he burglarized a house and charged at a deputy with a knife.
O’Brien, who was born in Northern Kentucky, allegedly broke into a Northdale, Florida home and shouted that “the rapture is coming” before pushing a woman to the ground. He ran toward a responding deputy with a knife and was subdued with a stun gun.
Less than half a mile from where O’Brien was arrested, a fire broke out at the house he was renting, sending flames billowing into the night sky from the roof.
The owner of the home where O’Brien was arrested wouldn’t go on camera but told ABC Action News he thought the guitarist was hallucinating when he spoke to him and claimed “someone was after him.” The homeowner added O’Brien seemed scared and at one point even hid in his closet.
Fire marshals found a large cache of weapon, locked safes and potential explosive devices inside O’Brien‘s home, including 50 shotguns, 20 semiautomatic rifles, two Uzi-style firearms, 20 handguns and two flamethrowers. Authorities also discovered thousands of rounds as well as additional weapons.
O’Brien, who had been a member of CANNIBAL CORPSE for more than two decades, was released from Hillsborough County jail on December 14, 2018 after posting a $50,000 surety bond. Several days earlier, at a hearing, a judge told the now-58-year-old musician, clad in an anti-suicide vest with his hands and ankles chained together, that he would first have to pass a drug test before he would be allowed to post bail and leave jail.
In March 2021, O’Brien was sentenced to time served and five years of probation and ordered to pay $23,793.45 in restitution. He was also ordered to get drug and alcohol evaluations and render 150 hours of community service. In addition, O’Brien was ordered to abstain from using alcohol and controlled substances and to be subject to random testing.
EXHORDER will release their fourth full-length album, “Defectum Omnium”, on March 8 via Nuclear Blast Records. Featuring 12 tracks and cover artwork by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, OPETH), the album follows the band’s 2019 release “Mourn The Southern Skies”. The band celebrates the announcement with a savage new track, “Year Of The Goat”, along with an official music video, which was directed by Brian “Bone” Thorburn and produced by Threshold Studios.
Watch “Year Of The Goat” below.
EXHORDER vocalist/guitarist Kyle Thomas states:
“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 DISCHARGE, 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!!!”
Thomas added about the album:
“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 fanbase.
“‘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 ’90s, 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!”
“Defectum Omnium” track listing:
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
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