So after Testament, it would only seem natural to finish my reviews of bands from the Big 6 with one of my favorites and that would be Exodus. Now like Testament, I was late to the Exodus game but once I heard them, I was hooked. If you don’t know (and you should) this is the band that Kirk Hammett founded before leaving for Metallica. Anyway, here goes………
Bonded By Blood- anyone who is a thrash metal fan should know this record or at least heard of it. It is considered by many a classic and with good reason. Now I will say that original “singer” Paul Baloff doesn’t sound very good. In fact, he’s downright terrible but there is something special about this record. Like you can feel the intensity here and the riffs are killer. Gary Holt is a fantastic guitar player and songwriter and the guitars on here are great. Like with everyone’s debut album, the production sucks. Anyway, I personally didn’t like it when I first heard this but now I like it a little better. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Piranha, A Lesson In Violence, Strike of the Beast
Pleasures of the Flesh- so after Bonded, Paul Baloff and was replaced former Legacy/Testament singer Steve Zetro Souza. Now this is an album I hadn’t heard in a long time and forgot how heavy this one is. Again the production isn’t very good and this album definitely needs to be remastered but it’s still really good. Zetro definitely fits in and you can clearly see why the band chose him. Personally I think he is better here than if he had stayed as Testaments vocalist. I give this 9/10
Standouts: Deranged, Faster Than You’ll Ever Live To Be, Parasite
Fabulous Disaster- now I’m pretty sure that if you ask fans of this band (particularly the Zetro era), they’d most likely say that this one would be their favorite. I’m guessing that this one would probably have a lot of their hits. The production on this is much better and the songs still have that heaviness that makes Exodus great. Gary Holt and second guitarist Rick Hunolt definitely make one of the best guitar teams in metal (change my mind). Anyway there is a cover of the song Low Rider which is a random song to cover but whatever. A great album and one can see why this one is their best yet. I give it 10/10
Standouts: Fabulous Disaster, Last Act of Defiance, Cajun Hell
Impact is Imminent- holy fuck this is a heavy record and I mean it’s one of the heaviest records I’ve heard. It’s funny, a few days ago, I read that Gary Holt would pick this as his throw away record because of the way that Steve sings on it. He’s says that he tries to sing a bunch of words really fast and there’s no hook to it. I say that’s what makes this album great. I mean the main riff to the title track is so good and the string skipping and solo on it is one of the best. If I had to compare this one to another great solo, I would compare it to Dan Spitz’s solo on the Anthrax song Time. One thing about this record is that it’s the first with new drummer John Tempesta. It’s really too bad that Gary feels this way and I wish they’d play songs off of this live. I give this 10/10
Standouts: Impact is Imminent, A.W.O.L., Lunatic Parade
Force of Habit- so I also heard that this album was considered to be their “slow” album and yes there are songs that are slower but there’s also some fast songs here as well. I guess this is slow the way Slayer’s South of Heaven is slow. This is also the first album not to have the Exodus name with the jagged edge font. This one would be the last with drummer John Tempesta. I’m pretty sure that during the making of this album, there were problems within the band and their label however, while this one isn’t their best but it’s still worth a listen. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Thorn in My Side, Bitch, Feeding Time At The Zoo
So like I said before, there were problems internally and with the band’s label Century Media so the result of that was the band splitting up. During the split, Gary Holt and original drummer Tom Hunting formed the short lived project War Dance but when that didn’t work out, they reformed the band with original singer Paul Baloff and their bassist from War Dance Jack Gibson and of course with guitarist Rick Hunolt. They did a small tour with this lineup and recorded the released the live album Another Lesson in Violence. The plan was to ,one forwarded with this lineup but sadly, Paul Baloff died from a stroke so Steve Souza was brought back in. So in 2004, this new lineup gave us…….
Tempo of the Damned- this is a perfect example of a band making a comeback after being away for a long time. The last new Exodus record was made in 1992 and this is now 2004. Bands like Tool should take note because this is how a record is made. Right out the gate, we get a thrash fest with the song Scar Spangled Banner and then right into War is My Shepherd. It’s a great album however in my opinion there are one or two songs I’d leave off because vocally they’re just ok. Regardless, I think this is one of the best albums with Steve Souza on vocals. I give it 9.5/10
So before the next album, there was a falling out with Steve Zetro Souza. I guess he bailed on them the day they were to play in South America. So they got some fill in singers for the shows and then recruited guitar tech Rob Dukes as their vocalist. Original guitarist Rick Hunolt also left the band and they got Heathen guitarist Lee Altus to take his place. Also Tom Hunting left the band and Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph took over. This lineup gave us……
Shovel Headed Kill Machine- the first album with an almost new lineup. I must say that 2005 was a great year for metal albums and this is definitely one of them. This is when I started listening to Exodus as well and I was hooked from the start. I remember getting a sampler after seeing Danzig at The Wiltern with my buddy Casey and the song Going Going Gone is what really got me into them. This record is just so heavy and brutal that I played the hell out of this album. Rob gives this band new life and a more death metal meets thrash metal sound. I give this a perfect 10/10
Standouts: Raze, Now Thy Death Day Come/.44 Magnum Opus, Going Going Gone
The Atrocity Exhibition- Exhibit A: not sure how but they managed to raise the bar even further with this album. Tom Hunting is back in the band with Paul Bostaph joining Testament. This is another album that is absolutely badass from start to finish. This lineup definitely brings the brutality and aggression and it’s safe to say that we have a new Exodus. The songs are long here and the riffs are huge but it’s not so long it’s boring like a lot of bands tend to do with long songs. I remember I first saw them at the Whiskey A Go-Go and they premiered the song Funeral Hymn and it was at that moment that I knew this was going to be a great record. This is another perfect album and I will definitely be giving this one 10/10
Standouts: As It Was, As it Soon Shall Be, Iconoclasm, The Garden of Bleeding
Let There Be Blood- not much to say here except that it’s a re-recording of Bonded By Blood except with Rob singing. It’s definitely in the same style as the last two albums but it’s a good album. Not much else to say here and I feel like I’m in a minority of people who actually like this one. I did get to see them play this entire album with my buddy Paul at The Key Club in LA and it was a great show. I even got the set list and a pick from Lee Altus. I give it 10/10
Standouts: Piranha, A Lesson In Violence, Strike of the Beast
Exhibit B: The Human Condition- this album could easily be listened to right after Part A. The opening song Ballad of Leonard and Charles is a great opener and seeing them play it live was awesome. While this one isn’t quite as strong as Exhibit A, this a great follow up record and again the big riffs are present as usual. I remember the day that this record came out, I was going to Europe with my family and I listened to this album nonstop the entire time. I will say that this one and Exhibit A are meant to be played in the car on full blast pissing off other drivers. I give this 10/10
Standouts: The Ballad of Leonard and Charles, Downfall, Hammer and Life
Blood in Blood Out: so sadly, there was a falling out with a Rob Dukes and the rest of the band which I guess is what the title of this album means. Who will replace him? Why Steve Zetro Souza of course. Now I was also in Europe when the song Salt the Wound was released and I listened to it like crazy because I was excited for new Exodus and because Kirk Hammett plays a solo on it. When the rest of the album came out, I was traveling around Europe and I constantly was listening to this one and Exit Wounds by The Haunted. However, listening to it now, I’m not as fond of it as before. The songs were meant for Rob Dukes to be singing them. That’s not to say that Zetro does a bad job but his vocals don’t really fit the sound of the album. Now if you go on YouTube, you can hear this album with Rob on vocals and it fits a lot better. I’m thinking the next album will hopefully be more suited to Zetro’s vocals. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Salt the Wound, Black 13, Numb
This is one of those reviews where I can honestly say that I enjoyed every album. It goes to show that Gary Holt is one of the best songwriters and guitarists ever and that no matter what happens whether it’s a lineup change or a death that he can still put out amazing thrash metal albums. Hopefully we get a new album soon because we are definitely past due for one except maybe this one will fit Zetro’s vocal style more. However, I prefer the Rob Dukes era a lot more and it’s really too bad that things couldn’t work out. Oh well maybe someday they’ll make another album but for now, Zetro does a fine job.
Final Grade: A+
Album Rankings:
- The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A
- Exhibit B: The Human Condition
- Impact is Imminent
- Shovel Headed Kill Machine
- Tempo of the Damned
- Fabulous Disaster
- Let There Be Blood
- Pleasures of the Flesh
- Force of Habit
- Blood in Blood Out
- Bonded By Blood
Sinister Reviews 