Exhorder Frontman’s Time With Chorus ‘Opened a Lot of Doors’

"I performed Beethoven with the [New Orleans] Symphony in front of about 3,000 people, and I can tell you there's nothing and no concert that I've played that is comparable to what that feeling gave me," Exhorder vocalist Kyle Thomas thoughtfully recounts to Noisecreep. "It was way different on all levels and heavy in its own right to stand there in front of a 70-something-piece symphony and hear the power of the string instruments without any electricity."

For true metal purists, learning that Exhorder's frontman loves Beethoven might come as a shock. For die-hard fans of the band, however, there is little surprise in Thomas' story. After all, Thomas grew up in the Catholic church and honed his musical chops in the high school chorus before heading off to college and using his voice to earn a place in the university chorale.

He said, "I sang with Exhorder before I was in the chorus ... When I got into the chorus, it taught me how to sing properly. And I'm thankful to this day that I did it, because it made me such a better musician all around, and it opened a lot of doors for me."

The training not only shaped Thomas' worldview but also helped in a practical manner, giving him the stability and stamina on stage to front one of the most menacing thrash metal bands of all time. These days, Thomas unabashedly splits his time between working on new songs with the recently reactivated Exhorder and his many other musical projects.

"I'm never really loyal to one project," Thomas said. "When I was younger, I was different. I would have not been so involved in so many projects. I would have thought in that time in my life, I was diluting what I was giving to Exhorder. I've learned as I approach 40, it's foolish to think like that. I have so much to offer so many different things. And if I just sit there and wait for one thing to happen, I'm kind of just shooting myself [in the foot]."

As 2010 wears on, however, Thomas will devote more time to Exhorder. The band will hit the studio and record a new album for release by the end of the year. Fans can also expect a few more live shows -- but not a full tour just yet.

"We're trying not to overload the booking too much at this point, because we want to concentrate on new music. We don't just want to keep dumping old material on everybody. It would be fair to the people that do support us and come to the shows to give them a reason to come out again and again," Thomas said.

Exhorder will play New Orleans Feb. 12 as part of a Mardi Gras celebration.