| CD REVIEW Exodus |
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Band : Exodus You may already be aware of the fact that Let There Be Blood is nót a new album by this San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal outfit, but rather a re-recorded version of their 1985 debut album Bonded By Blood...in their current line-up...as a tribute to original singer Paul Baloff, who died from a stroke in February 2002. The thing is, there’s been very little promotion around the album...in fact, to get a review our editor-in-chief (EIC from now on) first had to go out and buy a retail copy (something which doesn’t often happen, not with the connections hé’s got)...and the fact that we’re still reviewing it here is mainly due to the original album’s historical significance. Personally, I was never so attached to Bonded By Blood, because it (and the band) represented a far more aggressive (and not so much melodic) side of Thrash Metal, which didn’t exactly go down well with me. Nor did it go down as easily with the “regular” Thrash metal fans, as the band never came to the kind of success of their peers. Ovver the years, second hand copies of the band’s material were bought mainly as additions to a must-have collection, rather than as items which I grew to love. However, when I was cornered by the EIC during 2004 to review the band’s Tempo Of The Damned, I felt myself curiously drawn to the band’s music, and am now somewhat more leniant towards Exodus’ material. The band’s current line-up of singer Rob Dukes, guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson, and drummer Tom Hunting is of course no longer the original one that recorded Bonded By Blood. In fact, only Holt& Hunting are original members, although only the first has stayed with the band throughout (Hunting frequently leaving the band for some reason or other). By the way, did you know that this project was something the band was already discussing when Baloff was still alive? Although the songs are played quasi the same, modern production has really brought up the best in the material, and I have to say I like this new version of the album a lot more than I did the original one! The altered cover artwork is also a lot better than the somewhat silly stuff of the original. You now something, I’ve already read a review in a major Dutch magazine wondering why, oh why Exodus needed to re-record these songs. Perhaps it was also in part to finally get some decent revenues from their own material? I mean, the original recordings won’t have made a lot of royalties for them, as in those days it was still common practice to suck the life out of up and coming bands. With the band’s name made, this release on a smaller label (with most certainly a most profitable deal for the band itself) should at least bring the band some pocket money! As this is a sorts of re-issue (well, “sorts” anyway), I’m not gonna rate this. What with new (and positive) feelings against those of the old days, it wouldn’t really be fair, you know. I’ll give you one thing though: should Let There Be Blood be a new Exodus album, it would come darn close to entering my year-lists! Oh, before I forget, there’s a bonus track called “Hell’s Breath”, which shows clearly just how relevant the old material is against newer stuff! Tony. |