The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A

Nuclear Blast

YEEEEESSSSS! Finally an old school thrash album that I can be deferentially proud of. It comes as absolutely no surprise that this masterpiece stems from veteran bay area thrashers Exodus who after more than two decades of continuous Metal precision show no signs of falter in the slightest. I’ve heard that the pure form of this timeless art was making a definite come back but this is by far the most authentic evidence to that effect. Led by riff original master Gary Holt the band have seen a few bumps in the road over the years including the death of their original vocalist Paul Baloff in 2002 as well as a revolving door of other musicians. Nevertheless, Holt is as hard headed as they come and doesn’t ever back down. This latest CD aptly tiled The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A finds the band holding strong with new frontman Rob Dukes in the lead vocalist position as well as the return of original drummer Tom Hunting to the bands ranks.

Aggression, aggression and more aggression. That is the solid foundation of this genre defining next chapter in the history of Exodus. To be perfectly honest this is the bands first release since their 2004 return that I have genuinely found favor with. The album is exuberantly loud, abrasive and intense given its profoundly all around feeling of ultra heavy Thrash Metal mentality. This is most evident in Holt’s mega crunchy guitar riffs (“As It Was As It Soon Shall Be”, “Bedlam 1-2-3”, some of the best he’s provided in years) and the driving force of Hunting’s deliberate pounding, (“Riot Act”, “The Atrocity Exhibition”). It’s also nice to see that there was some pretty deep thought put into the lyrical content (“Children of a Worthless God”).

Produced by famed producer Andy Sneap (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A is most assuredly a landmark album for the guys of Exodus and will mo doubt set a new standard for the future of Thrash as we know it. Mosh it up!

-Priest