Fans of Exodus will angrily, and physically, fight the fact that this band belongs in the Big 4 of heavy metal next to Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Metallica. With the band spanning over four decades it is time to take a look back at their vast discography and see if they are truly the metal pioneers their fans claim them to be.
12. Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005)
So we lost the original lead singer, Steve “Zetro” Souza and guitarist Rick Hunolt, so what does this mean for the band? Unfortunately, I’d say this band rushed back into the studio after “Tempo of the Damned” a little prematurely and this is the least Exodus album of them all. Everything about this album feels sloppy, from the album title to the vocals, and even the guitars feel stilted. It feels like no one actually wanted to be there for this album. This album is as clunky as a Shovel Headed Kill Machine must be to drive.
Play It Again: “Altered Boy”
Skip It: “Shudder to Think”
11. Let There Be Blood (2008)
They re-recorded “Bonded By Blood” for some reason, maybe because most of the lineup had changed since 1985. I guess it is kind of an interesting experiment but side-by-side the albums are very similar, so I’m really not sure why this happened. Is this like a high school football player trying to relive his glory days? I mean what’s the point? Not just of this album but of life in general.
Play It Again: “A Lesson in Violence”
Skip It: “No Love”
10. Force of Habit (1992)
This heavier output from the band (just before breaking up for the first time) at times reminds me of C-list mental bands like Ugly Kid Joe and Slaughter but when the tracks hit I would compare them to Megadeth at their best. Every song feels like it is not only from a different album but from a different band. They have truly uncomfortable songs to sit through like a painful cover of Rolling Stones’ “Bitch” only to follow it up with a face melting track like “Fuel for the Fire.” I was worried by the Ralph Steadman inspired cover art that this was going to be a Grunge album like Metallica’s “Load.” This feels like a participation trophy of metal albums.
Play It Again: “Count Your Blessings”
Skip It: “Bitch”
9. Impact is Imminent (1990)
Oh, I get it, this is their Pantera album. I think that is the problem I am having with Exodus. It is quality thrash metal but I just can’t nail down what “their” sound actually is. Every album sounds like a different band. They really don’t seem to be having as much fun on this album as they did before.
Play It Again: “Impact is Imminent”
Skip It: “Lunatic Parade”
8. Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010)
The companion piece to “The Atrocity Exhibition,” I assume. It is clear that the single “Downfalls” is the heart of this album and everything else feels like it was built up around it. Exodus is like the Target Superstore of thrash metal; it’s a good quality product that you can rely on but it doesn’t feel like a name brand. This might be why they struggle to get themselves on the Mount Rushmore of thrash metal. I will give the band credit, they never change their sound with the times, they never attempt to sound like whatever metal-genre-of-the-week is happening at the time, they are thrash through-and-through.
Play It Again: “Downfall”
Skip It: “A Perpetual State of Indifference”
7. Pleasures of the Flesh (1987)
There is something about this album that sounds like if Dead Kennedys were a thrash metal band. While the production is of a much higher quality than “Bonded by Blood” and the riffs start to show some genuine inspiration yet I found the whole album sluggish. They also tack on these throwaway intros that really pull the album down.
Play It Again: “Seeds of Hate”
Skip It: “Brain Dead”
6. The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A (2007)
This is the cleanest production Exodus has had up to this point. Rob Dukes sounds like he has settled into being the lead singer and Lee Altus is picking up the slack on guitars. Using Exhibit A in the album title comes off as really pompous, like something Tool would do – so I was worried we were going to get something laced with “experimentation” and take themselves too seriously and with almost every track clocking in at over eight minutes there is a bit of hubris involved with this album, but at its core it is an Exodus album and a decent one at that. While a guitar-forward band, I am beginning to think drummer Tom Hunting is the linchpin of this band, looking back at what albums I liked and didn’t like, when Hunting is missing I liked the album less than when he is behind the kit.
Play It Again: “Children of a Worthless God”
Skip It: “The Atrocity Exhibition”
5. Tempo of the Damned (2004)
Was it worth it to wait 12 years for a new Exodus album? Honestly, yes. The band sounds refreshed and ready to rock again, as opposed to the sluggish “Force of Habit” record. Although, it took me this long to realize that I find that the vocals of Steve “Zetro” Souza just never meld with the band and that I much prefer the OG singer-the late Paul Baloff, who was only recorded with the band on “Bonded by Blood.” Exodus is first and foremost a guitar-driven band, Rick Hunolt and Gary Holt with vocals and lyrics an afterthought. “Tempo of the Damned” does what Exodus does best and that is to let the guitars speak. And don’t worry, not only is the title of the album a dad joke, almost all the track titles are as well.
Play It Again: “Blacklist”
Skip It: “Culling the Herd”
4. Blood In, Blood Out (2014)
It turns out this is not a thematic album about the 1993 epic Latino film “Blood In Blood Out: Bound By Honor,” which is disappointing. But I finally figured out what it is that bothers me about Exodus. They are a thrash metal band with a black metal singer. That is why it never really gelled with me. Even so, I now feel that Zestro is a better match with Exodus, after having to deal with listening to Rob Dukes, and I’m glad he’s back on this album. Dare I say that Exodus is getting better with age, like a fine wine.
Play It Again: “Salt in the Wound”
Skip It: “My Last Nerve”
3. Persona Non Grata (2021)
Exodus definitely does better when the lineup doesn’t change between albums. This album is like a runaway train that only builds up momentum as it goes along. Everyone is firing on all cylinders, this feels like it could be a flagship album for Exodus, and any other metaphor having to do with transportation. This album is also heavier than many of their other albums, even heavier than “Force of Habit,” which lends itself more to Zestro’s sharp vocals. Few bands can say that they’ve existed for 40 years and still put out music as passionate as this album feels.
Play It Again: “The Years of Death and Dying” (for the guitar solo alone)
Skip It: “The Fires of Division”
2. Fabulous Disaster (1989)
This is an Exodus album that sounds like Exodus, although one might say there is a lot of Anthrax in this album, or is there an Exodus influence in Anthrax? I am beginning to think the constant lineup changes are what hurt Exodus in the long run. Every album feels almost like a new band. That being said Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt are doing a lot of heavy lifting on every album and they should be applauded for it. That being said, this album is just tons of fun and the band seems to have come (finally) to some kind of cohesion.
Play It Again: “Toxic Waltz”
Skip It: “Low Rider cover”
1. Bonded by Blood (1985)
Many people say that this album rivals Metallica’s “Kill ‘Em All” and had it come out before Metallica’s debut album that Exodus would be in the Big 4, not Metallica. This is a quality trash album and my only critique is that it lacks the personality that the debuts of bands like Anthrax and Megadeth. This isn’t to say that Exodus peaked with the first album, but god damn this album is technically perfection but I have a hard time pointing to a single track and being like, “That… That right there, that’s Exodus.” But I wonder what would have been had it not been for lineup change after lineup change; would I be able to buy an Exodus t-shirt at Hot Topic instead of Metallica.
Play It Again: “Exodus”
Skip It: “Deliver Us To Evil”