Kingcrimsonprog
Bonded By Blood, Exodus’s debut album holds a special place in thrash metal history and courts intrigue with its back story. It has also gained a new level of appreciation after the unfortunate passing of the late Paul Baloff. Pleasures of the Flesh; their second has always been cruelly overlooked and underrated.
This album was the first Exodus album to both stand tall on purely musical merit and gain the respect and love of the fans.
With the brutal Pantera-esque opener ‘The Last Act of Defiance,’ the speedy ‘Verbal Razors,’ and the dumb but brilliant single ‘The Toxic Waltz,’ its not difficult to see why.
Vocalist Steve ‘Zetro,’ Souza, with his AC/DC style of vocals and enthusiasm, shines on this record, adding a real depth and punch to the overall sound (and its punchy as hell already.)
The riffs on this album are intensely catchy and memorable, switching between the band’s trademarked buzzing take on the bay area crunch and a new groove metal style several times in every song.
This kind of diversity helps Exodus music stay fresh and as with all their albums, this has its own unique style and character which separates it from not only their contempories but also their own back catalogue.
Their sophomore album may have introduced a level of diversity and maturity missing from their debut; but Fabulous Disaster goes above and beyond the call of duty.
The band are on top form, the musicianship is astounding, the energy level is high and the band sound truly vital. The guitar work on this album is just jaw dropping, with ‘The H-Team,’ displaying dizzying virtuosity in songs such as the semi-epic ‘Like Father Like Sun,’ and arguably the best song the band ever has written; the titular ‘Fabulous Disaster.’ This album is a battery of brilliant song after brilliant song, with no weak tracks, no overlong bores and a refreshingly modern guitar sound.
This is up there with Master of Puppets, Forbidden Evil and The Legacy as the pinnacle of Bay Area Thrash. Highly Recommended to each and every fan of Thrash or Metal in general.