EXODUS: Exhibit B: The Human Condition

Produced by Andy Sneap

Released: May 7

Overkill has already released the thrash album of the year, but rather than go down without a fight, along comes Exodus with their ninth issue, a volume chock full of nothing but savage, brutal and epic thrash metal. Unlike those of their New Jersey counterparts, the last few Exodus albums haven't been that great and after the steaming pile of crap that was Let There Be Blood they really needed something special to show that they could still be relevant. Exhibit B: The Human Condition doesn't sit at the same level of awesome as Ironbound, but it's a big step forward from the last few albums.

Gary Holt has handed the producer's reins back to Andy Sneap, who naturally gives this a modern sound that many won't like, but let's face it, it's 2010. There's also some of the groove aspect that's crept into the more recent Exodus sets, yet it isn't overplayed. Rob Dukes' vocals have also been a sticking point for fans, but I don't see a problem here. He isn't Baloff or Zetro but he does seem to have grown into his role as a thrash metal vocalist and on this album his style in a mix of harsh barks and shouts and even something close to a death growl in the enormous "The Sun is My Destroyer". None of the songs are as long as "The Atrocity Exhibition" or "Bedlam 1-2-3" from the 2007 opus, but all but four of these cuts run beyond six minutes. Lyrically, Exhibit B is a catalogue of anger and hatred, and the music that accompanies them is a ferocious arsenal of furious riffs and explosive soloing.

This is a truly vitriolic album, with Dukes spitting, growling and barking his way through tracks like "Beyond the Pale", the hate-filled "Class Dismissed" and the ripping, priest-crushing "March of the Sycophants", all capturing Exhibit B's theme of humanity's violent nature in the most unapologetic fashion imaginable. Holt and Lee Altus tear off solos that make your hair stand on end and the rhythm section is a faultless pile-driving onslaught. The only real problem with Exhibit B is the length: clocking in at a whopping 75 minutes, by the one hour mark it starts to run out of puff, becoming a bit of a tedious, angry noise before the end. Still, it's a welcome blend of classic and modern Exodus, and one of the angriest albums you'll hear this year.

1. The Ballad of Leonard and Charles
2. Beyond the Pale
3. Hammer and Life
4. Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)
5. Downfall
6. March of the Sycophants
7. Nanking
8. Burn, Hollywood, Burn
9. Democide
10. The Sun is My Destroyer
11. A Perpetual State of Indifference
12. Good Riddance

Rating: 78%