December 1, 2005

{     Exodus "Shovel Headed Kill Machine"     }    

After last year's "Tempo of the Damned" was released heads turned and ears perked. Thrash masters Exodus had spat a boiling bullet of yellow goo at the world. It kept eye patch salesmen in business better than a pirate convention at a shooting range, but a fluke of rare brilliance was collectively suspected given their on again off again behavior in the nineties. Things fell apart quickly proving detractors right.

Even though most of the members were victims of bad life choices and/or circumstances beyond their control (R.I.P. Paul Baloff) the name carried on. Exodus resurfaced a year later with one original member and an album full of the ole thumpety thump that led them to power back when Kirk Hammett was still in the band (and well before he became Some Kind Of therapy addicted pink boy).

This year Exodus is Paul Bostaph (Dave Lombardo's understudy in Slayer) machine gunning the cylinders, Rob Dukes squarling venom out of the pit of his testes like Suicidaam the Werewolf: Code Red Detainee at Abu Cheney, with Dr's. Gary "The Survivor" Holt and Lee "Heathen" Altus prescribing hard fast doses of meth-adamantium to all the twitchy riff addicts.

"I Am Abomination", "Raze," and "Karma's Messenger" completely wreck. Hear those wings whooshing behind you? Duck! That's Bay Area Thrash getting ready to fly betwixt thine rosey hindflaps.