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Rating: With the big names of metal living off their past glory both in studio and live for years now, it's undeniable that Exodus are one of the few exceptions to the rule. A legendary name in American thrash metal from the Eighties, they've never enjoyed particular recognition, often remembered more for the brief appearance of a young Kirk Hammett at the start of their career than for their actual studio efforts. While the importance of an album like "Bonded by Blood" is still recognized even thirty years after its release, the five from Frisco have never been able to aspire to the status of the usual Megadeth or Metallica. After a tumultuous decade in the Nineties, with breakups and fleeting reunions that led nowhere, Gary Holt and the band returned for good in the early 2000s, a period when old-school thrash began to make a comeback, thanks in part to new generations of metalheads who, perhaps tired of the alternative and nu-metal that had dominated for a while, began to reassess older sounds. Since luck is blind but misfortune has 20/20 vision, at a time when good fortune seemed to smile on the Americans, a staggering series of pitfalls came crashing down on them one after another. Paul Baloff, the iconic voice from their beginnings, died of a heart attack, and Steve Souza, who rejoined the group just in time, helped record "Tempo of the Damned" in 2004, one of the quintet's most beautiful albums, only to slam the door in the middle of a tour, forcing the remaining ex-colleagues to recruit last-minute replacements to honor their commitments. Meanwhile, the group, painstakingly rebuilt, literally exploded, with the legendary Tom Hunting and Rick Hunolt leaving within a few months. Where a somewhat reasonable person might have had a nervous breakdown, the good Gary Holt instead had the patience to start from scratch and put together an entirely new lineup that encapsulated the best of the San Francisco thrash scene, while also producing one of the best albums of his career, an album that would become a true symbol of 2000s thrash, "Shovel Headed Kill Machine". While the newcomers Paul Bostaph and Lee Altus are guarantees, the real bet won is that related to Rob Dukes, a former guitar tech "promoted" to singer, who manages, thanks to a scathing voice, not to look out of place alongside much more illustrious colleagues. Since analyzing individual tracks is useless, as the album, to be appreciated, should be listened to in its entirety, it's interesting to focus on the similarities and differences between this work and its immediate predecessor. If "Tempo of the Damned" was characterized by a certain attention to melodies, the current incarnation of Exodus focuses entirely on aggressiveness, with tracks like "Raze" or "Now Thy Death Day Come" that, also thanks to a top-notch rhythm section, prove to be some of the most violent from the American combo, aided by the "usual" texts by Mr. Holt, overflowing with disillusionment and cynicism. Another aspect to highlight is the structure of the tracks, long and complex, something never before seen in the group's discography, laying the groundwork for a discourse that would reach its peak in the next two studio efforts, the two "Exhibit" albums released between 2007 and 2010, with various tracks often exceeding even the eight-minute mark. As for Gary Holt's performance, there's little to say; it is truly outstanding, with the American guitarist seamlessly switching between rhythm and blazing solos, exchanged time and again with his comrade Altus. At the time of its release, this disc was hailed as a half-miracle, a masterpiece of modern metal, born moreover in far from simple conditions, showcasing a cohesive and energetic group, possibly one of the few still with something to say more than twenty years after their debut, thanks to an album that combined technique and great compositional skills. Since "Shovel Headed Kill Machine", the Exodus tank hasn't stopped, always blasting against everything and everyone. In recent weeks, the five Californians have released the new "Blood In, Blood Out", this time again with Steve Souza at the microphone, welcomed once again like a miracle, and with Exodus already ready to get their Panzer rolling across stages worldwide. And the slaughter continues.
Exodus:
- Rob Dukes, vocals
- Gary Holt, guitars
- Lee Altus, guitars
- Jack Gibson, bass
- Paul Bostaph, drums
"Shovel Headed Kill Machine":
- Raze
- Deathamphetamine
- Karma's Messenger
- Shudder to Think
- I Am Abomination
- Altered Boy
- Going Going Gone
- Now Thy Death Day Come
- .44 Magnum Opus
- Shovel Headed Kill Machine
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Raze (04:16)
Let's start a fire, biggest one you've ever seen
You bring the matches, I'll Bring the gasoline
Ignite it, delight it, the flames grow higher
Burn the world upon a funeral pyre
(Chorus)
Raze!
Light this motherf**ker like a roman candle
Burn this bitch straight to the ground
Raze!
Let's not worry about consequences
If it's standing, we'll bring it down
Destroy it all, show no inhibition
Revel and rejoice in unbridled demolition
Smash it, f**k it, nothing will remain
Detect it and wreck it but never take the blame
(Repeat chorus)
We Have Ignition
(Solo: Gary)
(Solo: Lee)
Shake the earth from its very foundation
Lay waste to the world without hesitation
Break it, take it, you don't have any reason
F**k it, destruct it, its demolition season.
02 Deathamphetamine (08:30)
Life spent with lips on glass
Another hit, just one more blast
How long can you make it last?
Hit the pipe and vaporize
Feel the rush, so energized
Your lungs begin to crystallize
Try to stem the tide
From another five day ride
Don't you know you're dead inside?
The world spins out of control
All amped up, no where to go
A glass house is all you know
(Chorus)
Poison cloud hangs in the air
Breathe it deep, your only care
It's a nightmare, not a dream
DEATHAMPHETAMINE!
Spun and sleep deprived
The calendar burns before your eyes
Another hit, for now revived
So many sleepless nights
Only wet your appetite
Strike a match, the torch ignites
See the shards start cracking back
Watch them turn your world to black
While waiting for the heart attack
All your dreams are dead and gone
I tell you now, it won't be long
Before death ends the marathon
(Repeat chorus)
(Solo: Gary)
(Solo: Lee)
Withered and sucked up
You're wasting away
Eyes sunken deep in your skull
You care not about yourself
Nor any other
Only if the pipe is full
Lick your lips
As you hover around the glass
Anxiously awaiting your turn
Depressed and paranoid
It's all gone to hell
Inhale as your world burns
Lost everything you own
Now waiting by the telephone
For the dope man to come home
All your friends and family
Age sickened by your need for speed
Only driven to exceed
So many years, so little time
For you to halt your life's decline
You've got to read the signs
Everything has come unwound
You've got to turn this shit around
Before you're six feet underground
(Repeat chorus)
03 Karma's Messenger (04:13)
Unrelenting vengeance
On man for all his sins
Ruthless eradication
Day of reckoning to begin
The human race is a cancer
Fueled by power and lust
Punishment is the answer
And payment is your blood
(Chorus)
Death and destruction
Hellish cries are the sound
Headlong into hell
Retribution is now
Inflict the suffering
Let the punishment fit the crime
I belong to vengeance
And vengeance is mine
Choking out the life
Of every living thing
History repeats itself
World brought down by greed
Prostitute the truth
Stealing from the blind
Arrogant indifference
The raping of mankind
(Repeat chorus)
(Solo: Gary)
Killing just for profit
And weeding out the week
Ruling with an iron fist
The cure for the disease
Driven by the madman
Driven by the greed
Infected by a cancer
Lust and debauchery
(Repeat chorus)
04 Shudder to Think (04:48)
You hit rock bottom, now where do you go from here
Sunk-down, locked-up, all you do is disappear
All your promises areall just a pack of lies
Your've got nothing, something you can't recognize
[Chorus]
Why don't you take some responsibility
You're pointing fingers and blaming everybody
Shudder to think if I lived like you
They would be shaking too, if they only knew
I can't take any more excuses
No longer needed and you don't have any uses
Washed up, washed out, what more can I say
You better start filling out your resume
[Chorus]
[Solo: Gary]
Everything was there for the taking
Too Busy with the lying and faking
Drugged up, fell out, too many second chances
Nothing else to do under the circumstances
[Chorus]
05 I Am Abomination (03:25)
I am affliction
The cause of all that ails you
I am addiction
That blinds and assails you
Through all confusion
I am the chaos
I'm the the thing that makes you hurt
Laughing at your loss
[chorus]
Just underneath your skin
Is evil's origin
Come see the face of devastation
You are me, I am abomination
I am the bleeding
When you open up the vein
I am the overdose
That rushes to your brain
I'm all you've come to loathe
All you've known to hate
I am the hunter
When you come to take the bait
[repeat chorus]
I am Jehovah
I am the virgin whore
I am the battlefield
Of pestilence and war
I am the monster
That lurks beneath your bed
I'm all perversions
Trapped inside your head
06 Altered Boy (07:36)
Unholy pedophile
Preying on the innocent
Protected by the papacy
So called men of enlightenment
Children fingered by the hand of God
Raped in the name of Christ
They took a vow of chastity
Yet have torn asunder so many a life
Chorus:
Chickenhawks of the Catholic Church
Out to save and destroy
They have become the preist of burden
And he's become an altered boy
Men so benevolent
In a position of trust
Molesting children by the score
Rendering young life straight into the dust
They're curch is their Golgotha
Their crucified by the priest
Child becomes the victim
Holy Father becomes the beast
Repeat chorus
Multi-million dollar payouts
Restitution for their crimes
This vile sickness
Cut so many down in their prime
All the bishops and the cardinals
Tried to hide it away
In the parish and cathedrals
The predators come to prey
Repeat chorus
07 Going Going Gone (04:58)
A straight razor and a flick of the wrist
Brass knuckles and a willing fist
A big knife and a little scream
They do wonders for my self-esteem
Warm blood and a cold embrace
The catch is better than the chase
They all ask why I'm doing this
Violence is bliss
Chorus:
What you see
All I know to be
Is a madman out on a killing spree
One thing I say
I did it all my way
Gave rise to the dawn of the dying age
When I feel the urge
And it's tarting to surge
Soon I'm blowing like an atom bomb
When you comprehend
Your life's coming to an end
I'm going, going, going, going, gone
Two things that I can't ignore
Dark nights and an unlocked door
I get the feeling and I follow through
I get high like I'm sniffing glue
It's time to let the games commence
This really helps my self-confidence
Blood orgy for the hedonist
Violence is bliss
Repeat chorus
I never leave any telltale traces
Only fear frozen on dead faces
An orgasm of depravity
It's the best kind of therapy
I always flee the scene of the crime
No victims, left to drop the dime
So many lives yet to be dismissed
Violence is bliss
08 Now Thy Death Day Come (05:11)
[Music and Lyrics: Gary Holt]
Bloodied, cleaved and mutilated
Dead bodies amputated
Mans bloody inclination
God's final abdicaton
Angels weep on bended knee
So begins the tyranny
The fallen one will rise again
So ends the time of man
[Chorus]
My will be done
Now they death day come
Never more the sound of laughter
Misery for ever after
The cries of suffering
Are what the death day bring
No one gives the benediction
All hear the maldication
Lucifer makes his accent
No words for mans laent
[Chorus]
On black wings I take to the sky
Scouring the land
Rejoicing in and laughing in
The folly of man
Centuries of hatred
Centuries of fear
Have led you to the end of days
And the one you so revere
[Solo: Gary]
[Solo: Lee]
The gates of heaven have been shattered
Wings of angels torn and tattered
All due to mankind's thirst
For war so well rehearsed
When you see my demon eyes
Too late to aplolgize
Can you feel the irony?
War for all eternity
[Chorus]
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Other reviews
By AR (Anonima Recensori)
Exodus came back with the violent and excellent 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine,' a concentrated burst of power that confirms they are back in a big way.
The cover depicts a dark figure crushing a multitude of human skulls under the tracks of its tank, reflecting pessimism about the future.
By death Trasher
I start thrashing my head at 360 degrees... completely smashing the walls.
One of those solos starts that sends me into an epileptic fit with foam at the mouth and eyes rolling back.
By sofficino
An album built to destroy everything, it will annihilate the world.
It’s pure fucking thrash metal without the influences that crept into Sepultura’s latest albums.
