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If there's one band that teaches us to never give up and keep fighting hard, it's Exodus
If there's one band that teaches us to never give up and keep fighting hard, it's Exodus
By Lucas Gabriel
Few things in life are more violently intense than listening to Exodus . Whether it's on their albums or at the band's unforgettable live shows. Guaranteed to lead to plenty of moshing and bruised necks.
This band was unfairly overlooked for a long time by the mainstream media and so-called heavy metal fans—those content with the ABCs—or overshadowed by other genre giants. Fortunately, over the years they have carved out their space and gained new fans who have surrendered to the Bay Area maniacs (the San Francisco region famous for its 80s Thrash Metal scene, and where the band originates). And even though they don't have the visibility or financial resources of a band Metallica , they are just as important. And anyone who knows their stuff knows this very well.
Loudwire ranks Exodus albums from worst to best.
We can say that nowadays the band is experiencing its best moments, but it wasn't always like that. If there's one band that teaches us to never give up and keep fighting hard, it's Exodus. And they've been through some pretty tough times.
Remembering that it's always good to highlight the importance of guitarist Gary Holt. Possessing incredible technique and feeling, he is a true architect in the art of creating heavy music. The only member present in all the group's formations, he has kept the band strong throughout the years and is finally receiving the well-deserved recognition of being one of the best guitarists in Metal, which even earned him a spot in Slayer , replacing the late Jeff Hanneman.
Let's move on to the albums; I'll be discussing the official studio recordings. I'm not including live albums or re-recordings, which I'll discuss at the end of the text.
"Bonded By Blood" – 1985
Some bands need an entire career to establish themselves in the scene, create a classic, or gain a legion of fans. Some bands only need one album, more precisely, a debut album. And that's the case here.
With songs that exalt Metal as a lifestyle, such as the title track and Metal Command . And the purest violence and aggression, something that may seem naive today, but which has its charm, after all, for the time the motto "Kill the posers," shouted loudly at the group's shows, made a lot of sense.
And it's not just lyrically that this album is extreme; musically, it's a real punch in the face, where the only light moment is the acoustic opening of the track " No Love ." You know those albums that you put on the stereo and feel like getting into a mosh pit and everything? Well…
Perhaps the band's best-known album, it has been played in its entirety many times and is celebrated by fans and musicians in general as one of the best in the genre. I myself have a special relationship with it, as it was the first album by the band that I heard and one of the first Thrash Metal albums I ever held, leading me down this irreversible path.
To give you a good idea of the frightening quality of this record, I'll give you an example of a situation that might happen: If someone knows nothing, or very little, about this style called Thrash Metal and wants to start somewhere, show them this album; trust me, they'll definitely start to see the style in a different light.
It's worth remembering that it was re-recorded and released in 2008 under the name "Let There Be Blood," featuring the original lineup from that time. The result was very good, but far from being as memorable and original as the classic.
This was the only studio album with the legendary and now deceased vocalist Paul Baloff, who would be replaced on the following album by former Legacy (the band's former name, which later became known as Testament) member Steve "Zetro" Souza. Paul Baloff left due to his problems with alcohol and other substances.
“Pleasures Of The Flesh” – 1887
And speaking of Zetro Souza, this was the first recording he released with vocals. Something that displeased (and unfortunately continues to displease) many fans, especially those who followed Paul Baloff, who was truly a monster live.
However, Zetro is a cool guy, his voice suits the style, the repertoire here is consistent with the group's quality, with songs showing that the band was sharp. So, how is this recording so forgotten? Or rather, so underrated?
There's no shortage of quality here, including songs that could easily be added to the band's setlist at any time, delivering real punches and a kick in the pants to those who thought the band would soften their sound.
Songs like the title track, Brain Dead , and Seeds Of Hate stand out, all featuring great riffs and tempos, showcasing even greater technical skill than on their debut album.
Perhaps it won't have the same impact as the debut album, including for critics and the public, who somewhat ignored it at the time of its release, not to mention the terrible distribution it received from the record label, causing it to sell far below expectations.
But overall, it's finally getting the recognition it deserves. If you tend to dismiss it, considering it a lesser album from the band's classic phase, give it a second chance; I guarantee you might be surprised.
"Fabulous Disaster" – 1989
At that time, Thrash Metal was undergoing a drastic change. Bands were either migrating to a more measured sound, leaning towards traditional Heavy Metal, or becoming more extreme. We can say that Exodus fell somewhere in between.
The catchy, easy melodies, whether in the instrumentals or the vocal lines, are more present than ever here. Did you find it strange that I said that about a Thrash Metal album? Well, don't think the sonic onslaught has been left aside; the band remains more aggressive than ever.
But this time, the technique honed over years of playing was used for good things: creating extreme and well-crafted music, technical yet easy to understand. Even the longer tracks, like Like Father, Like Son , possess these characteristics, and let me tell you something, my friend, that's not for just anyone.
The truth is that the band had left behind its more naive (and sometimes considered "crude") side. This included in the lyrics, focusing more on politics and social issues and moving away from the "look how wicked we are" approach.
Perhaps because of the excessive melody, many people dislike this album, claiming that the band was starting to change in order to attract the market. Nonsense, the truth is that Exodus was maturing.
Besides classics like the title track, Corruption , and The Last Act of Defiance , the album features one of the band's biggest hits, played at virtually every show. I'm talking, of course, about The Toxic Waltz .
"Impact is Imminent" – 1990
And they enter the 90s taking their foot off the gas pedal, something that was already being foreshadowed in the previous album. That's what we can see in this record: more rhythmic songs, but with incredible heaviness and that same old aggressiveness, this time in a somewhat more condensed way.
Featuring excellent production for its time, which resulted in full-bodied and heavy riffs, this album, like the previous one, features long and complex songs, perhaps even too long and complex. It was a real misstep for its time, as it was a completely non-commercial record, going against the grain of what was beginning to take hold in the Heavy and Thrash Metal music scene.
However, even with all that, I'm still having problems with this registration; I'll try to explain:
Despite its quality and highlights, it lacks something that the previous album did masterfully: combining the technique and complexity of the songs with melody and dynamics, making them catchy and not tiresome. It's commendable that the band had the courage to continue playing heavy and aggressive music, but before, this sound had a side that made it easy to get into your head, even within all the sonic violence.
It's still a good album and quite extreme, perhaps containing some of Exodus' most violent and heavy passages to date, but that alone isn't enough to elevate it above the level of their previous albums.
I know a lot of people love him, and that's understandable; I myself quite like some of his tracks. However, you can't deny that the band was entering a very strange phase of their career.
"Force of Habit" – 1992
Something happened to the world of heavy music, and why not, world music, in 1991. And that is Metallica's self-titled fifth album, the popular Black Album. Besides being an incredible commercial success to this day, we can say that this record changed the career not only of Metallica, who went from being the kings of underground thrash to filling arenas and making their sound increasingly "pop," but also of all the bands of that wave who tried to emulate not only the sound of this album, but its sales success.
Of course, many bands didn't care about that and continued even more extreme than before, as is the case with Slayer, who maintain unparalleled musical integrity. Exodos seemed like they were going to follow the same path, but that's not exactly what happened.
However, among the bands that tried to replicate Metallica's success, based on the recordings we had at the time, we can separate them into two groups: those that failed by softening their sound and those that, even with the changes, managed to create something musically worthy.
Where was Exodus at that moment? Well, unfortunately, we can say that they jumped on the bandwagon of recording something that the record label proposed would be more accessible to radio, MTV, and the general public. As Gary Holt once said: "it was the first album where I didn't do exactly what I wanted to do" .
Fortunately, the band joined the group that managed to do something worthwhile, or at least came close.
Even though it's different, and in some ways lacks the band's personality, we can't say this album is entirely bad. The riffs and heaviness are still there, just in a different way this time.
I know a lot of people who hate this album even without having heard it before, just because of its bad reputation. My friend, give it another chance. You might not like it, but it's much better to dislike something knowing why and being familiar with it, than to dislike it just because you heard a handful of people online saying bad things.
"Tempo Of The Damned" – 2004
As we can see, the 90s weren't the most favorable years for the band. The only notable event from that period was the return of the original vocalist, who recorded a great live album, "Another Lesson In Violence." Aside from that, the group was practically dead.
After a long time without releasing any studio material, Exodus returns with a vengeance, with what, for me, is their strongest record in recent years, an album so incredible that it easily rivals any record they made in the 80s and any other band.
It's not wrong to say that this is a true classic from the early 2000s. It shows that the band was still alive, and above all, that true Thrash Metal was alive. It's worth remembering that we were in a moment when the revival of the style was beginning, with new and old bands releasing noteworthy works.
We're talking about the incredible "Tempo Of The Damned," which spawned classics that I hope will never leave the band's setlist, such as Blacklist and War Is My Shepherd . These two are usually the most remembered, but the entire record is above average, with songs like Throwing Down , Scar Spangled Banner , and Forward March .
We can see here that the band returned to the formula that worked in "Fabulous Disaster". However, with a modern approach for the time, and one that remains relevant even today (it wasn't that long ago, but 2004 sometimes feels like millions of years ago).
It seems that finally, after two regular albums and many years later, they realized the sound that pleased both critics and their devoted audience, while still remaining true to who they really were. It wasn't difficult to pick up a publication from that time and see many well-deserved praises for Tempo , and it continues to be a well-received and beloved album by new and long-time fans to this day.
“Shovel Headed Kill Machine” – 2005
Here we have the first recording with a new vocalist: Rob Dukes, a guy who divided and continues to divide opinions about his work in the band. Mainly among older fans, who didn't really like his more hardcore/Phil Anselmo style. This changed over the years, as he adapted better to the band's sound and was more accepted by the fans.
I saw two shows with Dukes fronting the band, and I can say that despite his vocals being debatable, he knew how to get the crowd going wild, adding a very welcome aggressiveness to the songs and encouraging moshing at all times; a true frontman for a true band of this style.
What we can see on this album is a natural continuation of the previous one, but without the same charm, although it maintains good quality. But that must be because I consider Tempo an above-average record for any band; in other words, I have a special fondness for it.
The songs remain long, technical, and well-constructed, but in service of the songs themselves. Something I always come back to: Exodus is one of the bands that does this best. Along with Testament, Megadeth , Kreator, and Artillery.
We can say that with the arrival of the new vocalist and his vocal style, we have an album that is even more extreme than the previous one. With passages of pure aggression, which, combined with the band's technique, form that sonic mass that we all love in Exodus.
Overall, we have a good album, loved by some and unfairly forgotten by many. It seems the band could still deliver something better; even though this record has its great moments, it's not one of those that sticks in your head on the first listen, but it's worth checking out.
“The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A” – 2007
While the previous album divided opinions, this one received far greater critical and public acclaim. People were more receptive to vocalist Rob Dukes' work, who still featured his screams, but this time better integrated into the songs. Furthermore, he was much more in sync with the band during live performances, including on songs not originally recorded by him.
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Here we can see a band that is more self-assured, showcasing strong compositions, and frankly, better than their previous record. Once again, they hit the mark by opting for a return to the past, but with a contemporary feel within it.
From this, we can see that they took what worked well on the previous album and focused on that. In other words, heavy, technical, aggressive songs with a new approach, but that you listen to and immediately think: this is Exodus from the 2000s.
Here we can see tracks with an epic and grandiose tone, such as the title track and the album's biggest hit, the song " Children Of A Worthless God" . A song so good that it deserves to be included in the group's hall of classics and is always very welcome in live performances. We can also note that these are the band's longest songs.
“Exhibit B: The Human Condition” – 2010
Leaving aside the more epic tone of the previous album, and moving towards something more direct, like a return to the origins that the album Tempo already proposed, Exhibit B is perhaps the Dukes album that most resembles the old Exodus. This is due to the songs having an extreme 80s Thrash feel. But with great production. In fact, praising the production of Exodus' albums from Tempo onwards is stating the obvious, generally featuring the excellent Andy Sneap in charge of this work.
Cheap nostalgia aside, for a band like this, that's not a bad thing. Of course, it's always necessary to look to the future, but keeping one foot in the present and the other respecting what they've done in the past can be very beneficial for certain bands.
The confidence the band had gained on their previous record continued here, even more so to be honest. Because here, even though the group has the game won, they still made sure to release high-quality music. It's not hard to consider this my favorite record with Rob Dukes.
Overall, the result was a band that was growing in quality with each new release; this Exodus lineup seemed like it would last until the band's end, but that's not quite what happened…
"Blood In, Blood Out" – 2014
And we've arrived at Exodus' latest studio album, marking the (very welcome) return of former vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza , who was doing well with his band Hatriot, but to the delight of fans from his time in Exodus, finally took over the vocals again. All respect to Rob Dukes, of course; his work in Exodus, especially his onstage insanity, will always be remembered.
Now, going back to the album, it's noticeable throughout several passages that the band is more carefree, simply playing what they like, not thinking about whether some tracks might become classics in the future, but about the quality they have when listened to today.
Does this mean the songs are bad? Not at all, let me explain: Bands like Exodus nowadays don't need to strive to be average or positive; they simply release their material, and we expect the usual sound quality. Here, we don't have a band desperate to show what they can do; they just do it naturally, and given the circumstances of the album's release, we have a band once again very firm in its approach.
Perhaps inspired by Zetro's return, this album is reminiscent of "Tempo Of The Damned." In other words, you can already tell I loved it, right?
One factor that may have disappointed many people is the vocals, and that's easy to understand. Many people who prefer The Dukes will initially find Zetro's more "Donald Duck"-like vocals strange; however, I myself took a while to get used to The Dukes' vocals when I started listening to the band with them, so…
As you can see, it's a very respectable and consistent discography. Besides these studio albums, Exodus has some live albums, one of which is worth highlighting: "Another Lesson In Violence," marking Paul Baloff's return to vocals for a short period and featuring all the classics from his era.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
