Exodus
Tempo of the Damned/ Shovel Headed Kill machine

Few people know that Exodus is one of the bands that stood at the origins of thrash, along with Slayer and Metallica. The most convincing debut "Bonded by Blood" from 1985 seemed to guarantee Exodus' eternal presence on the Olympus of heavy music. It was enough to stick to the chosen direction and delight the hearts of thrashers with selected action films, give crushing concerts, and rest on your laurels. Success was predetermined... But it didn’t work out. I won't delve into the reasons why the group always remained in the shadow of their more famous colleagues, never tasting real fame. That's not what we're talking about now. In 2004, without unnecessary pomp and hype, the team got back together and recorded an album so furious in its strength and fury, so interesting musically and lyrically, that it becomes clear - this is the real return of trash from oblivion, in which it found itself thanks to its activities former classics. "Tempo of the Damned" is the best trash album of the last ten years. Bright, memorable riffs, inhuman percussive power and, of course, soaring above all this is the evil, unique, charismatic vocals of Steve Souza, who seems to be muttering curses about the American way of life and other social lyrics through his teeth (no devils, zombies and crypts - sheer realism in the texts). "Tempo of the Damned" is definitely one of the few must-buy releases from 2004. Despite the ensuing personnel crisis (after the super-successful "Tempo Of The Damned" two-thirds of the band left), Exodus again unexpectedly pleased with an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile called "Shovel Headed Kill Machine". The album is very strong, “catchy” and, so to speak, “solid”. The new members fit into the team perfectly, I especially liked the new singer Rob Dukes with his slightly “added” vocals. "Shovel..." is the exact opposite of its predecessor in sound. A distinctive feature of "Tempo...", among many other things, was the modernity of the sound, while "Shovel..." was recorded in the typically harsh style of thrash metal of the 80s. The songs are all very good, I liked "Karma's Messenger", "Shudder To Think" and "I Am Abomination" (this one the most). Even if Exodus did not say anything fundamentally new with their latest (for now) album (although after the aforementioned discord a worse result would have been forgivable for the group), it is still excellent, powerful, skillfully performed and recorded music.

This album was an incredible return to form for Exodus, the legendary thrash band from San Francisco Bay. These Originators Came Out Swinging for the fences with this album and it just blisters.