EXODUS
Shovel Headed Kill Machine
Nuclear Blast Records 2006
www.exodusattack.com
What’s the 4-1-1?
The San Francisco thrashers return with their 7th studio album (10th
release overall), the follow up to the 2003 CD Tempo of the
Damned.
This CD marks the debut of brand new vocalist Rob Dukes.
Genre
Heavy Metal / thrash metal
The Good
You have to give the band credit for not holding anything back. From the beginnings
of the lead track “Raze” to the gut ripping title track, they
not only drive 55 but also go a lot faster than that.“Raze” is
a fire all guns album opener that would rip anyone from their laziness. It
dares you to not pay attention and then grabs you by the throat
and makes you do just that.
Rob Dukes comes off very well in his debut recording with the band. Exodus is
Gary Holt’s baby, but you have to have a singer that can hold his own against
all the metal histrionics and Dukes does it. He’s not perfect, but his
razorblades and gravel screaming certainly gets the job done.
The vocal on “Karma’s
Messenger” actually lifts a kind of mediocre track up nicely.
There is a triumvirate of simply fantastic songs that shine far and above everything
else. “Altered Boy” is an attack on the entire Catholic Church sex
scandal that just rips the offenders to shreds. “Going Going Gone” has
a really magnificent vocal phrasing and the chorus is excellent. The best song
however is “I Am Abomination.” The vocals from Dukes alternate between
the screaming and a slightly deeper tone during the chorus. Once again, a superb
choice of vocal phrasing, particularly in the chorus, make this a song worth
hearing.
The Bad
For a thrash album, which prides itself on being an in your face dose of pulse
pounding slap you in your face music, I found a few of the tracks to be rather
flat. They had the requisite thrash speed and everything but songs like “Shudder
To Think” and “Now Thy Death Day Come” came across more like
filler material rather than the best songs the band came up with for the album.
The Verdict
My only previous experience with Exodus is the Fabulous Disaster CD, and
that is pretty much due to the track “The Toxic Waltz.” They’ve
just been one of those bands that continually have stayed below my “to
buy” radar.
While Shovel Headed Kill Machine is less than perfect, it does live up to advance
hype and signals that Exodus isn’t just hanging around, they are a vital
component of today’s resurgent metal scene.
Did You Know?
The original singer for Exodus, Paul Baloff, died after a stroke in 2002. Exodus
was the opening band on the original Headbanger’s Ball Tour
with Anthrax and Helloween. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett was a founding
member of Exodus.
Rating:   out
of 5
-- Jay Roberts
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