Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A Review
by Billy D. Gamble
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Mighty thrash metal legends Exodus are back from the San Francisco Bay Area to deliver their eighth album The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A. The album is vocalist Rob Dukes' second with Exodus and the album also includes the return of original Exodus drummer Tom Hunting. Dukes steps up the vocals on this album. On the second track "Riot Act," after following a militant thrash intro, the album opens up with an intense shredding guitars and a barrage of metal building up to Dukes' explosive screams. The album itself harkens to Tempo of the Damned and Shovel Headed Killing Machine-era Exodus.
The later era Exodus' guitars are still distorted but carry a fresher delivery due to advances in sound technology since landmark album Bonded by Blood. Gary Holt and Lee Altus still melt faces with this album, using great harmonizing techniques, speed, and squealing strings. The newer Exodus albums are also much bass-heavy with more versatile percussion. Instead of typical thrash/punk consistent with their 1980s origins, Exodus Hunting throws in some technical, less-textbook thrash beats to accompany the majority of The Atrocity Exhibition. The album still has such beats on songs like "Riot Act," "Iconoclasm" and the album's title track but Hunting tries some beats that are more spread-out tempos. On songs like "As it Was, As It Soon Shall Be" Exodus seems to slow things down a little.
Exodus has come a long way and this album is the proof. The album is packed with headbanging and moshing opportunities with no karate slam dancing in sight. As a bonus the album's outro is a humorous banjo rendition of "Bonded by Blood." One of my only problems with the album was the length. Fortunately Exodus is currently working on Exhibit B, the follow-up for Exhibit A, and will shortly be released.
Exodus' The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A
1. Call to Arms
2. Riot Act
3. Funeral Hymn
4. Children of a Worthless God
5. As it Was, As it Soon Shall Be
6. The Atrocity Exhibition
7. Iconoclasm
8. The Garden of Bleeding
9. Bedlam
10. Bonded by Banjo (hidden track)
CD Info and Links
Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A Rating:8.5
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