Interview with Josh Christian from TOXIK

Toxik was an US-based technical thrash metal band, hailing from New York. In the 80’s they released two cult albums, World Circus (1987) and Think This (1989). I interviewed Josh Christian, founding member and lead guitarist of Toxik.

Who or what inspired you to pick up a guitar?

I am from a musical family, both my parents played guitar and sang. My dad played a little horn, he also played bass in a band when I was young. Growing up I was immersed in all kinds of music, from Jazz and Classical to Contemporary Rock of the day. My parents were into Yes and King Crimson, Mahavisnu Orchestra etc. For me growing up in the 70’s and then the 80’s it was great and I was very lucky. All of the instruments of a band were at my house for me to play whenever I wanted and I did, a lot. Drums and Guitar ended up being the ones I stuck with. As I got older I narrowed it down to guitar and took lessons. For lead guitar playing Van Halen and Uli Jon Roth were my biggest Influences, along with Richie Blackmore, Allan Holdsworth from UK and Adrian Belew from King Crimson. Of course Yngwie was an influence later on.

How was Toxik formed? What’s the history?

I started the band with my friend Lee, we were Punk originally and then Noise. In 1980 we heard Motörhead and that changed everything… this music blew my mind, between that and The Scorpions, Accept, Judas Priest, Tigers of Pantang etc. and then Venom and Mercyful Fate, Slayer etc. Music exploded in a period of 7 years, it went from Classic Rock and Punk to Power metal to Black/Speed and Thrash… We just grew with it.
The original name was “The Photogenics” and we were seriously a Punk band in the vein of late 70’s safety pin in the the lip style shit. I was 12 and we played schools, party’s and halls. We started a riot everywhere we went and then through the years Centaur, Tokyo and Finally Toxik in 1984. By this time we were musically all Original and writing speed power metal. When Tad joined in 85 we became a Thrash band for real and started ripping fucking 190 bpm 16th notes. Mike and Brian had already been in the band a year. I was the last remaining member out of about 15 people.

How was the local scene at the time when the band was formed?

 Pretty Cool, we were part of the New York scene of that day. Anthrax and Overkill, Carnivore, Whiplash, Crumbsuckers, I can’t even remember them all! NYC in the 80’s was sick. I hate to rattle like an old man about how great it used to be, but honestly it was. It was insane, you could go out and see G.G. Allin, Leeway and Slayer in one weekend and it was every weekend in Brooklyn, Long Island, New Jersey and Manhattan… and then Boston and Philly. It was endless music in those days.

Josh back in the 80’s.

Which bands influenced Toxik?

A wide variety we were all totally different in styles but we all liked metal. I think that’s the reason we sounded the way we did. We were always pretty eclectic.

Did bands like Watchtower, Realm, Voivod or Blind Illusion play a vital role in your sound?

Watchtower and Voivod were influential on the universe, not that Realm and Blind Illusion weren’t, but they were contemporary’s in fact Realm was signed to RoadRacer at the same time we were. So there wasn’t an influence in that way. I was also friends with Ron Jarzombek back in those days. We talked a lot on the phone and traded tapes etc. Similar things influenced us. Not that Toxik was anywhere near as busy as Watchtower, but we did both share a basis in the prog music from the previous decade. Again the stuff I grew up listening to.

How was the reception initially when the first copies of World Circus were released?

Mixed, some people loved it right away; others grew to like it more. Some people panned it. The press liked us overall it seemed, we won CMJ metal album of the year or we were in their top whatever. I don’t remember exactly but we had a really strong buzz for a Thrash/Speed Metal band. People that saw us live always liked us more it seemed. We didn’t get to tour the US on World Circus and it affected sales of the record which I blamed the label for because of their lack of support, but in Europe we were really well received and sold pretty decently. Enough to get a second album anyway.

How did you feel about one of the songs appearing on a Metal Massacre compilation?

Awesome we were so stoked when that came out, we were on with some great bands. Cool, cool thing.

How often did you guys tour? Any particular great memories?

Too many memories. Everything you imagine can happen on a tour with 15 young guys did. Rolling around the country side, drunk and happy that we were out living our dream… I’ll do this in one capacity or another till the day I die. I’m sure of it.

Why was Mike Sanders replaced by Charles Sabin on Think This?

Complicated. at the time the record company was giving us static about Mikes Voice and he had taken some bad press. It seemed everyone was digging the music but the vocals got a hard rap. When Think This rolled around, Mike himself decided to call it quits. He went out to California and started a new life. Charlie was the right guy for the Job and did a killer performance. To this day I love both of their voices. I don’t care what anybody else thinks either. Mikey has a totally unique sound to his voice, even his speaking voice is unique. Charlie was a practiced serious vocalist. He was driven in a different way than Mike was and the energy was good for the Album. Props to them both!

What was your inspiration for ‘There Stood The Fence’?

At the writing of that I was feeling pretty angry actually. In fact for all of Think This I was having a bit of a depressive state. I was reading a lot of alternative world history, very different from what I had been taught in school and the real world really fucked with my head. That album was definitely a work of frustration and confusion.

How was the experience playing at the Dynamo along with some great acts of that time? 

Truly one of the highlights of my life. I’ve played other big shows but that was different, the bands, the fans… just the whole thing. It was early on in the festival experience. Awesome, awesome day!

What is your favorite Toxik song?

Ha! Voices? Time After Time? World Circus? Black and White? Are you really asking me to choose between my children?

What do you think of all the kids who are into Toxik now?

I’m really feeling validated honestly. For all the haters that talked as much shit as they did, we actually ended up a legit cult band. I feel totally humbled by that, I don’t want to be misread but fuck all man it definitely makes me want to kick out some more Toxik music!

Did you expect that twenty years later people would still listen to your music?

I doubt anyone does anything where they can imagine what 20 years later will bring. Like I said I’m just humbled and honored, no nonsense.

Do you plan on recording with Toxik anytime soon?

YES! If I had done this interview when you first sent it to me I might have said no. But I have a friend who was really pushing me to do something and I started to think about it and it does seem like a good time to put out a record. There’s so much shit going on I the world right now, how could I ignore it? It’s not a reunion either, even though it technically is because it’s original members. I’d like to think of Toxik like a Pink Floyd or King Crimson of the Metal world. If we do a studio album every couple of years from here on out it won’t be a reunion it will just have been a long break; the new Stuff is a bridge between the 2 records mixed with a lot of new elements. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed. We haven’t slowed down at all, we’re still technical as hell. Now unlike back then we’ve had a lifetime to digest just how fucking ugly the world can be to itself and like I said, I can’t ignore it and you can hear that in the music. I’m still frustrated you see… but I’m not confused.

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Dorsal Atlântica – Antes do Fim (1986)

After more than two months without posting, here comes a new one!
Today I will talk about this classic debut of one of the most classical bands from Brazil, the Dorsal Atlântica! Formed in 1981 by Carlos “Vândalo” Lopes (guitar/vocals) and his brother Claudio “Cro-Magnon” Lopes (bass guitar) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And releasing a lot of epic albums during the career, today i will talk about their first full length (they already had released an album before it, the Ultimatum split, with the band Metalmorphose, this was one the first, or maybe the first thrash metal album in the South America) Antes do Fim (Before the End) is it’s name, released by them in 1986.

(Photo taken before a show in the city of Belo Horizonte, city of Sepultura, Mutilator, Sarcófago, Overdose, Chakal, The Mist, Holocausto, and a lots of bands, in the show of the release of the split album Bestial Devastation/Século XX by Sepultura/Overdose in 1986, they played as guest band, and the opening act was by Mutilator. From left to right, Claudio “Cro-Magnon” Lopes (bass guitar), Hardcore (drums) and Carlos “Vândalo” Lopes (guitar/vocals).

 
This is a mark in the history of the brazilian scene, that influenced bands like Sepultura and Korzus, the album i will show to you, guys, is fast, raw, intelligent, brilliant, and the production, that isn’t too good, give to the album a certain feeling, this is one of the things I most like in this album.

The track that open the album is called Caçador da Noite (Hunter of the Night), fast guitar riffing, blowing bass, nice drum work, and lyrics talking about a born dead killer from the third world who execute his lyrics causing terror everywhere, the upcoming track is HTLV-3,for those who doesn’t knows, the original name for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was HTLV-III, and as everybody knows, this term is no longer in use. Well, this track, obviously talks about the disease and the prejudice for people who diseased by it, the part I said that this is an intelligent album is just because of the lyrics that Carlos “Vândalo” Lopes wroted very well, i’ll spotlight some translated verses of the lyrics that I think’s interesting:

“People bother with the “freedom” that the world has
Take advantage of a disease
Discriminate more minorities”
“Real witch hunt promoted by the media
Find the guilty to save the families of bourgeois
No one wants to get close, your friends will move away
A normal life is impossible, the pain of exile, thy curse”

The next is Álcool (Alcohol), this is one of my favorites songs in this album, a fast song with a nice guitar riffing , loud bass guitar (moreover, this is one of things i most like here, the bass guitar is loud and well done in the whole album) very fast drums, and with one of the most beautiful guitar solos that I’ve ever heard! The lyrics talk about the miserable way of life of alcoholic people, the awareness they have of alcohol but his uncontrollable urge to drink it, some verses that deserves to the spotlighted:

“My body stinks of alcohol
My legs have no strength
Drugs that society lets me use”

“The alcohol burns my body
It ends with me
What is the fate for those who have no future?

“For those accustomed to fall, it makes no difference
But do not pity me because I do not like it”

“I just need to drink, It’s the life I chose
If I do not care, Why do you have to worry ?
Get drunk, fill me with alcohol to fall to the ground”

Depressão Suicida (Suicide Depression) is the next song, and it’s talk about, obviously, the depression, the will to kill itself, the guilty, the torment to live, and wow! I just love the riff that comes before the solo, it’s so cool. Vorkuta already has a sugestive name, talks about the gulags created there in the soviet regime and about Stalin (Yeah, Dorsal is also history class! Hahahaha, there are other history facts in other songs)

“Stalin was afraid of being assassinated
Suspicious of the people, Suspicious of the soldiers
“Do not believe in anyone, not even me. Gratitude is a disease that affects dogs”

“Five houses, suite in the Kremlin, Foreign cars, 15 million of slaves”

FAST, FAST, FAST, FAST, FAAAAAAAAAAST!! Everything fast, and vocals with echoes, now comes my favorite track in the album, Joseph Mengele! Yes, as I already said, Dorsal is also history class! It’s name says all, talks about the sadistic german nazi medic Joseph Mengele, who did experiments with his victims still alive and etc, the trying of Simon Wiesenthal to capture him, and about his escape and possible death in Brazil:

“Like a omnipotent devil emerged from the depths of the night
I’m a omniscient doctor, capable of increasing deaths to infinity
Auschwitz was designed for one hundred thousand,
the “angel” eliminated four times more
Every day, twenty thousand were to the oven, ten pounds of gold from teeth of the dead”
“Did not find the answer in the dead twins
ZS marked chest
Straight to the dissection
Joseph Mengele”

“Fled and lived in peace , away from the world
He left a hell to get into another
Simon Wiesenthal could not capture it
The soul of Mengele laughs of satisfaction”

“He was buried in the grave 321
The body of the supposed Wolfgang Gerhard
It seems that it was this, some do not believe
Anyway , he rests in peace”

Guerrilha (Guerrilla) is the next song, the most slow song in the album, with a mid tempo riff and drums, and as I already said, LOUD BASS GUITAR! It talks about war for freedom and etc…
“Guerrilla for freedom
Guerrilla in search of the truth”

Inveja (Envy) has a sugestive name, it’s a fast song, nice to headbanging.

“Why humans can not see itself free
Do not learn from past mistakes
Lessons of greed and rancour”

“If life is so ephemeral
Why do so many futile feelings?
Inwardly you do not want to make a mistake, but you can not tame it”

And the ninth and last track of the album is called Morte aos Falsos (Death to the Falses) the fastest song in the album, a manifesto to false people and it became a hymn against the posers, a violent lyric!

“Your deceit, your way of speaking
No one in the end will want to listen you
How many friends you have, you can count
Because bobody will want to help you”

“I hope someone break your bones and crush your legs
Thrash your face and fill you of beating
Break your teeth and make you swallow, the shit that you are
and the shit that you do
Death to false!!!”

Clossing Coments

This is a masterpiece from the third world, if you do not know it, give it a try, this album influenced a lot of bands and should be listen by every true headbanger!

Dorsal Atlântica on facebook
You can listen to the whole album here

Lautstürmer – Depopulation (2010) Review

Aye dudes! I’m GG Escobarf and this is my first review.

You will probably see more Metalpunk, D-beat, Crust and thrashy hardcore from now on from me 🙂

This review is about Lautstürmer – Depopulation.

As you might now this band is formed by Driller Killer’s guitarist (Adam) and I got the record a short time ago so yeah!.

Did I regret it to pay 10 bucks for it and stay dry a whole evening? NO!!! its straight forward riffing,raw vocals and face punching D-beat at it’s best!
The first song on the album is called Human Waste Erased, it’s a pretty cool song…straight forward d-beat just as I told you earlier, the second one is called The Biggest Failure, plain motorcharged riffing with a nice mid tempo D-beat and a killer solo! On of the things you don’t hear that mutch in hardcore music hehe.

The third song on the album is Bow to no one, which starts out with a cool typical hardcore bassline, furthermore its kinda the same complex as the other two songs, but nothing wrong with that since the riffs are killer!

And now the fourth track of the album, personally my favorite one! Its called In The Line Of Fire, this is just pure fucking Anti Cimex having sex with Motorhead hehe, just check out the riff Adam is playing 😉

And now the fifth track Let The Axe Fall,what can I say, this one is another riffing d-beat jawbreaking song, but with a bit of more obscure touch in the riffs hehe.

Okay we’re on the half of this album…the sixth song Coffinshaker!, this song is in my opinion pure motorhead worshipping by ciderpuking Swedish motherfuckers hehe!! Definitely one of the better songs on this album!

The Seventh song…Hold The Elevator, another cool song but just like I said earlier, its another straight forward jawbreaking D-beat riffage so nothing that special

The Eight song,The Originators, well, I got to agree this is a more original song on the album hehe, it has a killer intro which makes me want to start a pit in my room! Furthermore the song is followed by a anti cimex kind of riff which makes this song almost perfect for every Swedish Crust/D-beat/Hardcore lover

The ninth song, Time to die, this is one of the song that makes me bang my heads until I get a whiplash hehehe, heavy mid tempo riffing which a really strong punch!

The Tenth song, Nothings Changed, this is the very first song I heard from them and made me fall in love with this band at very first sight hehe, straightforward riffing and shouting!

The eleventh song, Parafright, one of the better songs of this album since it has a more metal kind of riffing in there in my opinion and the bass is really clear here hehe

And now the last song, Back for Blood, …does anyone of you know the feeling of wanting to smash a fucking hole in the wall and destroy the fucking world?? Well that’s the feeling I get from this song hehe, I specially love the screaming in the song and motorhead styled solo!

So that’s it, just to make it short… If you love Metalpunk,Swedish D-beat,Crustpunk,Anti Cimex,Driller Killer and Motorhead… I would recommend you this album for sure!! It might be a bit of the same complex of heavy riffing,D-beat and pure straight forward hardcore, but nothing wrong with that at all,overall it’s a killer album with great song so yeah!

Just check the album out and I’m sure you wont regret it! [8/10]

Lautstürmer on facebook

-GG Escobarf

Payback – Toxic War (2012) Review

Hi folks, today I will talk about this brazilian Thrash/Death Metal band called Payback! Founded in the end of 2011 in the city Belo Horizonte by Daniel Tulher, Michel Vasconcelos and Lucas Bispo, In mid-2012, the guitarist Bárbara Guieiro joins the band. The band play a raw and fast Thrash/Death Metal with lyrics about war, violence, death and anti religion, today I will review their first EP that was released two months ago, called Toxic War.

The ep starts with the instrumental track From The Cradle To The Grave (what a awesome title, huh?) When you hear the sounds of the alarms, beware, the thrash will begin! It’s a nice intro, it has a fucking loud bass guitar, that is one of the things that I most liked in this EP, you can listen all the instruments, I hate those productions that simply cut all the bass from the shit (there is a thousand of examples but a notable is And Justice For All by Metallica), you only listen the vocals, the drums and guitar, I hate it! Well, after this intro, comes the song Seeds of Despair, a visceral thrash/death metal with awesome guitars and the vocals of Daniel Tulher ranting about people who are mentally blind, who are alienated, they believe everything the TV says, ranting against dirty politicians and religious leaders, no one should be left! The next song is Payback, that obviously, talks about vengeance, It starts with mid tempo riffs that will getting faster, this track has a nice drum work also, with blast beats! I really love the chorus, this is one of the best tracks of the album.  The next song is called Hordes of Space is one of the fastest songs of the album, with parts that sounds totally black metal, with tremolos and insane blast beats, one of the best tracks of the album, one of my favorites, another thing I have to spotlight are the harsh vocals with gutural screams at the background along the song, I don’t know if Daniel makes the two vocals but, hahaha, if he do, wow! The dude knows to sing! Fake Theory is the next song, “BIBLE IS A BOOK OF LIES!” FUCK! This song is pure concentrated hatred, the most death metal song in the album! With furious riffs, and insane drum work, a guitar solo Slayer alike, a truly track made with hate, with the point to make you burst your head against the wall, to mosh with hate when you’re seeing their show, the lyrics are also really good, talks about the free will, about the hypocrisy of the bible, I love parts like:

“What is the meaning of the free will ?
I have to believe in your god or I will go to hell?
Free will is a concept used by people who kiss the cross
But this is not fair, this is not a free choice”

and
“I do not know anyone who wants to be burned eternally .
I’m sure that this freedom is hypocrisy”

Well, as I already said, this is one of the best tracks in the album, the highlight! Daniel make some screams that remember me Schmier‘s scream in this track, and he succeeds! After all that slaughter along the song, there comes a slow riff, and the song turns all the weather, with a captivating solo, you can feel all the anger of the band, in this point of the song you think “This song is a perfect song, that showed all it had to show” but the slaughter comes again, the fast riff start again and the blast beats of the drums rape everything insanely (Lucas Bispo made a excellent drum work in this album) then the chorus come back again:

“No, do not believe in this false theory
No, do not believe in this hypocrisy
God, he is not merciful
He hates much, me and you”

The next song is Metal Attack, it has a speed metal feeling, the main guitar riff, the pumping bass and the beats of the drum remember me Motörhead, it’s a really cool track, the lyrics obviously talks about the heavy metal and it’s immortality:

“Against all religions and trends
Just the swords of hate in our hands
Kill us, they can try
but we are immortal
Heavy Metal will never die !”

Toxic War is the seventh track, fast guitar riffing, fast drum, insane screams, all that a good thrash metal has to offer, the lyrics are about the decay of the planet because of the toxic pollution:

“Pain consumes my soul
In my mouth I feel acidity
The coming of the nuclear winter
or the 11th hour?
Victims dying slowly
While the sun is being weakened by darkness
A rotten smell everywhere
The world is lifeless”

To end their debut EP perfectly, “People, of the liiiiiiie!!” Yes! A cover of one of the best songs of Kreator, well, everyone knows this song, all I’ve to say is that is a excellent cover!

Closing Comments

Wow! I think I made my biggest review, and I liked to do it, Thanks for Daniel Tulher and all the band for let me do the first review of their debut EP! This band is for every maniac that love fast music, that protest against all the scourge of the world, the dirty politicians, the religious leaders, the book of lies. If I were to give a grade for their work, I would give 10/10. GET IT OR DIE, FUCK!!!

(from left to right: Bárbara Gueiro (gt), Michel Vasconcelos (gt), Daniel Tulher (v/b), Lucas Bispo (dm))

Payback on facebook
Download their debut EP “Toxic War” allowed by the own band

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Blackthrasher

Primal Order – Genocide Meteorite Dynamite Alright (2012) Mini Review

What’s up thrashdancers! Although this month is mostly horror themed, i am doing this as a special request. My good friend Maarten handed me this tape and asked me to review it, so naturally i couldn’t refuse! That’s right, tape. We’re going old school today!  In the hierarchy of old-schoolness, tape comes first, then vinyl and then cd. Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff.

Just wonderful!

Primal Order themselves don’t even know what their own genre is and neither do i. I think it’s best qualified as metalpunk with a little touch of death. The songs. The songs are pretty fuckin’ good. We get treated to half an hour of great grooving songs with funny titles and epic vocals. All the songs on the tape have a sort of ‘rock ’n roll’ vibe that makes you (almost automatically) want to bang your head. The songs that stick out the most are Hot Mama, Oh My Goat, Life And Death and Genocide Meteorite Dynamite Alright. I mean even the title alone is enough to catch your attention and the song itself is catchy as hell! I had the chorus in my head for days after just listening to it once and i couldn’t get it out!

Anyway, there is not much else i can say about it, except go fucking listen to this you motherfucking bastards! If you like dirty, raw and unholy metal than this is right up your ally!

Closing Comments

Give this band a try, you won’t be dissapointed!

– Klikovreter

Hot Mama!

Primal Order on Facebook

Primal Order on Bandcamp

Destruction – Mad Butcher EP (1987) Review

I hope you guys had liked the Exodus month, now we will continue with random reviews here, well, and in the beginning of the Halloween month, I will talk about the Mad Butcher ep, Released in 1987 by the german thrash metal gods Destruction.

Really nice cover!

Through the Blackstreets of the town his steps are clanging, now he’s wanton, oh he’s panting in his hand a blade of solid steel, now it’s the time you got to feel! YES!  The first track is simply called Mad Butcher, one of the favorite songs of every Destruction fan! Killer riffs, and the vocals of Schmier are very striking. The drummer, Olly Kaiser will make you bang your head here also, this song is surely a thrash metal gem that still be playing live til nowadays, and the end is pretty funny, they start to play nothing more nothing less than the Pink Panther theme, hahahaha! Very funny. The second track is The Damned, a cover of the punk rock band The Plasmatics, the song begins a little bit captivating, with a serene vocal, it have nice riffs, and a guitar killer solos, a excellent cover, one of the highlights of the EP. When the acoustic guitars begins beware, the hate will spread! Reject Emotions is one of the best thrash metal songs of ever, it have a acid lyrics, nice guitar work as always, with excellent guitar solos, exciting drums, and a catchy chorus,

“Reject Emotions, satisfiy your feelings… victim of lust, trapped in lunatic possession, reject emotions, too horny to be alone, reject emotions…”

The last song is The Last Judgement a killer instrumental with acoustic guitar riffs and very fast guitar solos, something clearly inspired in Yngwie Malmsteen, this song is really HARDCORE.

Closing Comments

This is a excellent ep that have to be listen by every true thrash metal fan, it’s short and catchy, all the songs are really good, surely you will thrash very much for this!

Exodus – Let There Be Blood (2008) Review

Let me start off this review by asking a question. Why? Why does this ungodly piece of filth exist? Why did they feel the need of remaking one of the most classic, most appreciated compact discs in thrash metal history? Suicidal Tendencies did it (Still Cyco), Tankard did it (Best Case Senario), Anthrax did it (The Greater Of Two Evils) and even Sodom did it (The Final Sign Of Evil). Even though the necessity of those releases are debatable, none of them come even close to being as pointless as this inhumane collection of absolute shit.

No comment.

Let me tell you something, if i have ever seen a complete waste of plastic, it’s the casing that holds this cd. For some reason, Gary Holt and his companions thought that this amazing masterpiece should be re-made. According to him to “Give it the benefit of modern production”. Are you fucking kidding me? The production on Bonded By Blood was raw at best but i wasn’t horrible! If any of the should be remade it would be Impact is Imminent, the guitars there sound way to ‘digital’ compared to their other albums. So why do i hate this album so much? First of all, it sounds way to good. As i’ve said earlier the ‘benefit of modern production’ does not apply here. The reason why the original sounds so good it’s because of it’s raw, primitive quality. The same goes for other albums of the time (Kill ‘Em All comes to mind). The new version just sounds way too polished and perfect. Second, there is no Paul Baloff. They took the only studio album that he appeared on and replaced him with good ol’ Rob Dukes. It has already been discussed what i think about his vocal style (in fact, he placed last in our ‘favourtie singer’ poll) and it just doesn’t go well with these songs. Paul is legendary among thrashers and is by you guys considered to be the best singer that Exodus ever had!

The experience i (and most of you) had with this album can best be described like this: Your uncle once gave you a teddy bear that you’ve loved for years. You have other stuffed animals too but not a single one comes close to being as awesome as that one teddy bear. Other things come along but that teddy bear will always have a special place with you. A few years later the uncle who gave you the bear visits you. He rapes and sodomizes your favourite bear, throws in in the trash, gives you a new one that is almost identical and says “Here, take this one, this one is newer. It is pretty much the same, only in a better condition!”. Even though he raped your favorite toy you will never forget the old one for being the coolest thing ever, and he will never be replaced!

Bonded By Blood has been voted by you as the best Exodus album ever, Paul Baloff as the best singer, Let There Be Blood as the worst album and Rob Dukes as the worst singer. You do the math.

Closing Comments

Stay away from this awful piece of shit.

– Klikovreter

Do yourself a favour and listen to the original!

Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010) review

Hi folks! Today I will review this great Exodus album, Exhibit B: The Human Condition!

Since Rob Dukes has joined Exodus their albums haven’t been quite as good as in the past. Shovel Headed Killing Machine was an alright start for Dukes and following that with Exhibit A really wasn’t a whole lot better. Let there be Blood was not a great idea by holt considering the fact the tracks were already legendary and having Paul Baloff on vocals is pretty much what helped make them legendary. That brings us to Exhibit B. If your an exodus critic then the first thing you will probably realize is most songs on the album run from 6 to 7 minutes each. Most bands that release songs this long make them very drug out and boring. Each song though is unique in its own way and makes the time pass by very quickly. Songs consist of incredible riffs, fast drumming, and some of the best solos out there today. One thing that is very noticable that has improved alot is the production quality. All the songs on the album are produced very cleanly unlike Exhibit A. The lyrical content of this album is fuckin sick. All songs are based of Gary Holt’s view of what humans are like and the sick creatures that we are. Songs go from serial killers, school shootings, the rape of Nanking, and America’s shitty government leaders and economy. The songs open up your mind and make you thing about how brutal of creatures humans really are. Robs vocals have drastically improved from Exhibit A. It seems with every new album release Robs vocals continue to get better. In SHKM they were way to raspy sounding and with Exhibit A he cleaned them up a bit but they still weren’t perfect. With this release he has found his perfect balance of a tad bit of rasp but most of his vocals are really clean and brutal.  Overall this album is a vast improvement from the past view releases from the almighty Exodus. This is definitely a album worth picking up in stores and anyone that has the chance to go see them on tour should go. Don’t pass up the chance.

Closing Comments

Exodus has been Thrashing hard for 30 years and haven’t let up a bit. I recommend this album to anyone that is a die hard thrash fan or is just in the mood to head bang and toxic waltz a little bit.

Exodus – The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A (2007) Review

Out of all the Exodus albums, this seems to be one that i listened to the most when i was starting to get into metal (Besides Bonded by Blood of course), probably because it was the newest one at the time and i’d figure it was the best one to start with. This is the second album with Rob Dukes behind the microphone and features no lineup changes from Shovel Headed Kill Machine.

Woah dude, this is trippy.

I really love this album. Maybe it’s nostalgia talking, but it seems Exhibit A is what defines Exodus the way they are today Many people (including myself) would like them to return to their old style but i don’t think this is bad either! They continue the experimenting they did on Shovel Headed Kill Machine, meaning that except for Riot Act, all the songs are longer than five minutes. They all have long instrumentalp arts with great melodic solos that will have you fingering the air (wait what?) like you’ve never done before!

As i’ve said, Riot Act is good ol’ Exodus like we know them! Nothing much to say about it, except that it’s a great fucking headbanging song! Short, but sweet! Funeral Hymn is where things start to get really good. Despite it’s long running time (8 minutes and 38 seconds) it is one hell of a song, the riffs are all catchy, the solos (there are multiple!) are simply amazing to listen to! A very impressive song that seems to be a step up from their previous efforts. After this madness it’s time for what might be my favorite song from this album, Children Of A Worthless God. Once again a tad on the long side but that doesn’t mean it’s boring whatsoever!

The Atrocity Exhibition has a manaical main riff that makes you feel like you’re plunging into madness, an absolutely intense song that will grip you by the throat and won’t let go of you for the next..10 minutes! A long sit for a metal song, but just when you are starting to fall asleep you het hit in the face with Iconoclasm! An in your face brutal assault! The drums are so friggin’ cool on this song, i used to go crazy to this song when i was younger! Bedlam 1-2-3 sounds the most like classic Exodus out off all the songs, it sounds like it came straight from Fabulous Disaster! Of course there is the hidden bonus track, Bonded By Banjo or Banjoed By Blood as some people call it. It’s a banjo version of Bonded By Blood and well, it’s pretty fuckin’ hilarious.

Closing Comments

Maybe it’s just my nostalgia talking, but out of all the new Exodus albums this is probably my favorite. If you can once again stand Rob Dukes’ vocals then you’ll most likely enjoy this release. Give it a whirl!

Hell Yeah!

Exodus – Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005) review

Hi people, after a long time without posting, let’s begin this!

Call me crazy but I like this more than Tempo of the Damned which was surely the 2005 album of the year! Rick, Hunting and Zetro – three vintage members of Exodus have left leaving only Gary Holt from the original Exodus of yesteryear and Jack Gibson (bassist) picked up for Tempo Of The Damned (also plays in A Lesson In Violence). Three new members have entered the realms of Exodus – Lee Altus of Heathen fame, Paul Bastoph best known for his stint in Slayer and previously unheard of vocalist Rob Dukes.

Any metal fan wouldn’t be worried about either Paul or Lee as they are of course thrash veterans and excellent at what they do. Then again, there’s also a guy who has never been seen earlier in a metal band (or a band) of any kind – Rob Dukes. Is this guy up to the levels of Zetro or not? I’ll give this to you straight off the platter – he isn’t the easiest vocalist to digest. At first you’d believe he’s imitating Zetro but falls short but after many listens you’d realize that this guy’s voice is better, more manly and rough therefore perfectly suiting the music style here which I believe Zetro wouldn’t have fitted in. The production is absolutely perfect unleashing the monster within the album in terms of brutality. The guitar tone is like Heathen’s guitar tone for their latest demo but EVEN heavier. Rob Dukes snarls his way through in the most inhumane way and the riffs are as heavy as a ton of bricks. Solos really do the job just as Tempo did and though Zetro’s lyrical sarcasm is missed, the lyrics here are pretty inhumane and brutal as well. I doubt any thrash album can be disappointed with this.
On a song level, everything rules. Exodus experiments far more than they did with Tempo. Tempo was meant to be a ‘safe’ album for Exodus in which they just delivered what their fans wanted to get back in the thrash fold even though it was mind-blowing but this album has Exodus experimenting much more than ever. The perfect example would be the 8 minute 30 second thrash epic Deathamphetamine which has some of the heaviest riffs ever recorded. You can see the beauty of the guitar tone in this song right away. Opener Raze is as brutal as it can get and that solo there is pure class and Shudder To Think hits you like a brick wall with its inhumane speed and brutality. Also standing out is the incredible I Am Abomination which slows down the pace a bit and is more groovy – think “Throwing Down” off Tempo Of The Damned but 100x heavier and that chorus in Going, Going, Gone! Is tailored perfectly for a live concert. Shovel Headed Kill Machine is a incredible lesson in thrash the Exodus way, never have Exodus been this good since Bonded By Blood and it isn’t even the same lineup as Bonded By Blood! Buy or download now!

Closing Comments
This is really a great album that made difference in Exodus discography, a good album, with a (hated) good vocalist, but give it a try, I bet you will like it if you like fast thrash! The best songs are Raze, Deathamphetamine, Shudder to Think, I am Abomination but the entire album is worth hearing.