UMUR "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" is the eighth full-length studio album by US, California based thrash metal act Exodus. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in October 2007. It´s the successor to "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" from 2005 and the album features one lineup change as drummer Paul Bostaph has been replaced by a returning Tom Hunting, who didn´t perform on "Shovel Headed Kill Machine".

The music on the album is in the trademark sharp, aggressive, and raw Exodus thrash metal style. Exodus were never known for being adventurous in terms of song structures or experimental musical ideas, and they´ve pretty much stuck to their concept since the release of their debut full-length studio album "Bonded By Blood" back in 1985, but as always they are full of fierce energy and raw thrashy attitude. It´s now the second album with lead vocalist Rob Dukes and while I don´t find him as distinct sounding or unique as Steve "Zetro" Souza, he does a great job on this album. The songs are all well composed albeit a bit formulaic and sometimes also a bit too long for their own good. Not all tracks needed the vers/chorus parts repeated three times. "Children Of A Worthless God" is one of the highlight of the album (Dukes even adds a bit of clean singing to this track), but tracks like "Riot Act" and "Funeral Hymn" are great tracks too. In fact "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" is a strong album throughout, although the riffing style and the formulaic song structures make it a slightly one-dimensional listen.

The album is produced by Andy Sneap, and features a classic Sneap sound production. Meaty, powerful, heavy, and clear with all instruments and vocals audible in the mix. Upon Conclusion "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" is another high quality thrash metal album from Exodus, but I do detect a bit of autopilot in the songwriting department. I know this is what the fans expect, but I could do with a bit more experimentation or at least a bit more variation. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog When I heard Exodus’s Atrocity Exhibition Exhibit A for the first time I was taken aback by the sheer quality; I felt at once surprised, delighted and genuinely excited. I was one of the fools who noticed that there was a new singer, that there was a new bassist and a new drummer when Shovel Headed Kill Machine came out and never got around to giving the album a listen. Then in early 2010 I saw the bands phenomenal DVD Shovel Headed Tour Machine and had my opinion changed, my appreciation for the band broadened and it was time to get their new studio albums.

If like me you are unsure about how much of the original Exodus remains in the band, about what the new singer is like and about how modern or classic the music is my advice is to throw away all your preconceptions and just listen to the album with fresh ears, because taken on its own merits, Exhibit A is nothing short of excellent.

Exhibit A is quite literally one of the best metal albums of the decade, it may even be the finest thing the band have ever written and any concerns outside of the music itself soon become irrelevant upon listening. What you get is essentially what you got from any Exodus record in the past; quick-fire raspy vocals over chunky deep riffs with plenty of very impressive guitar solos and on top of that, one of the genre’s most distinctive drummers. Rob Dukes is now one of my favourite singers, he does a fantastic job and suits the new music so perfectly that I now have no complaints that neither Baloff or Souza are singing.

There are a lot of modern elements to the music and the band don’t just repeat what they did on the eighties material, but rather than make the band seem like they are straying too far from the golden formula or betraying the original ideals it just makes the music sound vital, immediate and relevant.

The hands down, best track is the furious ‘Children of a Worthless God,’ which is fast, hard and memorable in the same way which ‘War Is My Shepherd,’ was only with an extra level of intensity and attitude. Other highlights include the ten minute title track with its crunchy guitars and grand chorus as well as ‘Bedlam 1 2 3,’ which is a little more diverse.

To sumarise, Exhibit A is a fantastic and excellent record that is not only a great Exodus album but a vital and genuinely exciting album for metal on the whole.

Stephen The Californian thrash hero is back in action again two years after "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" and this is the second album with singer Rob Dukes and guitarist Lee Altus, and also marked the comeback of the original drummer, Tom Hunting. Judging by its name, fans are hinted with the follow-up of Exhibit B, which later released in 2010. "The Atrocity Exhibition" is a proof to the masses that after 27 years and 7 albums, Gary Holt still has the capability of unleashing a monstrous album.

The atmosphere in the album is dark and Holt introduced a lot of lengthy tracks with over 5 songs spanning 7-10 minutes. Exodus is trying to be more explorative, and that's a good thing, even though I'm still sensing a repetitive pattern on couple of songs. Holt/Altus trade-off solos are still the highlight of the album and several songs that I think are perfectly written are "Funeral Hymn" and the last three tracks, "Iconoclasm", "The Garden of Bleeding", and "Bedlam 123". Most of the songs also constructed from their classic riffage style and fast-paced rapid fire drumming.

Aside from a more progressive approach, Exodus isn't offering a brand new style therefore old fans or Bay Area thrash hardcore will appreciate this the most. However, the lengthy tracks could be something to consider as I think some non-prog fans will find it boring and tend to skip to the next track after the first 4-5 minutes. In my opinion, this album is pretty solid and complete and could have been perfect if they didn't insist to pack the album with too many long tracks.