New Exodus samples here!

sovdat wrote:

Listen to the whole thing at their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/exodus

Boy, that Eyesore sure knows his metalcore. Sounds pretty solid, though.

SHKM absolutely ripped ! Love how Gary brought in other established bay-area bashers like Bostaph and Altus into the Exodus fold.Looking forward to the new one.

Thanks for posting the myspace link, but I'm gonna wait until I get the album to hear it.

By the way, "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" was a fine album IMO. Not sure why people don't like that one.

Cant wait for the release.

Listening to the new one now. Sounds really good musically. The production is incredible and the guitar tone is oustanding. "Funeral Hymn" sounds like classic Exodus. The riff in this particular song reminds me of those mosh pit days of the past, yet has that biting, modern tone.

The vocals aren't bad but really lack the charisma of Baloff or Souza. Rob Dukes sounds like any number of modern vocalists.

Wow! I am shocked at the reviews this CD is getting. Most thrash fans are chewing it up and spitting it out. I'm just not hearing the "metalcore" and "groove metal" that many people seem to be accusing Exodus of playing.

Here is one review from Metal-Metropolis. The last paragraph shocked me when reading this review.

Quote :

Worthless - 13%
Written by Visionary on October 24th, 2007

"there will never have been anything as brutal and genre defining done before in thrash metal. An epic monster this one is, and the next is going to take it even further."

This is a quote taken from Exodus from their announcement of this album. This sure is a bold statement. The question is did Exodus live up to this? The answer is absolutely not. I could go on and on about more brutal or epic or genre defining albums. The Atrocity Exhibition is nothing of the sort in anyway. This is just another lifeless groove album.

The first thing that strikes me when listening is just how obnoxious the riffs really are. The riffs are very simple utilizing very few chords and are not at all choppy but just complete groove and worst of all is that Exodus are very repetitive with these riffs and most of the tracks last for a long time. Occasionally Exodus will attempt a thrash riff but they are just to stop/start to work and end up giving me a headache. If you want a thrash riff to work in this case you have to link the chords quicker. The solos are also pretty useless. They seem to mostly be used just for the sake of it and there is no structure in the songs that seems to make them fit. They are neither fast nor technical except on the rare occasion and that is definitely not a good thing as it just makes them sound lifeless and boring.

The drumming was the only thing I enjoyed when listening to Shovel Headed Kill Machine. Here I didn't even notice the drums unless I forced myself to listen to them. And then I just heard an occasional bang on the drums; no fills, no variation. It could almost have been a poorly programmed drum machine.

Now Rob Dukes makes a very slight improvement here from his performance on Shovel Headed Kill Machine but that really isn't saying too much. His voice is still largely in metalcore territory and sounds very dry, and monotonous. Occasionally he goes a little bit deeper but this is only by a small amount but is still largely welcomed as it is an improvement but this is not enough to save the vocal performance here. Worst of all clean background singing is used that further solidifies the band's connections with metalcore. The fact that I am reminded greatly of all those formulaic metalcore bands such as trivium with their back and forth between annoying shouts and clean singing is certainly not a good thing.

There is virtually nothing that can save this album, not even the production which is actually quite good as it sounded a little muddy and highlighted the appropriate parts but if these parts are useless to begin with then it doesn't really matter.

Overall I am glad that I didn't even waste my time downloading this album but rather just listened to it's entirety from Exodus' Myspace page. I hope the band continues to do this so more people like me can realize how bad they sound and are put off from wasting their money. If you want real thrash from 2007 then check out releases by Lich King, Ultimatum, Dekapitator and Chaosphere. Don't waste your time or energy on this.

Quote :

If you want real thrash from 2007 then check out releases by Lich King, Ultimatum, Dekapitator and Chaosphere.

That's quite a compliment to you guys. Congrats!

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Quote :

If you want real thrash from 2007 then check out releases by Lich King, Ultimatum, Dekapitator and Chaosphere.

That's quite a compliment to you guys. Congrats!

That's what surprised me. To me Exodus are thrash. Ultimatum have never been a pure thrash band. Either way, I appreciate the recomendation.

I am also surprised so many people hate this CD. I can understand why people may or may not like the lyrical direction. Holt is certainly preaching a message of disdain for any of faith, but the music is aggressive, heavy and chock full of thrash riffs. Sure there is a mixture of groove and speed riffs, but the best thrash bands have always balanced those aspects.

I have been hearing alot about this "Ultimatum" band. What do they sound like?

ultmetal wrote:

Here is one review from Metal-Metropolis.

you mean Metal-Archives don't you? that doesn't look like a Kmorg review.

Oops, Metal-Archives is correct. Sorry kmorg. Must have had Metal-Metropolis on the brain.

Ult, are the vocals in the metalcore vein? Not sure I'm gonna like this one or not. If it's like "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" I'll dig it, but not if the have taken a more metalcore direction.

If you like Shovel Headed Kill Machine, you'll probably like this one as well. I don't think Exodus have gone in a metalcore direction at all. I think Rob Dukes vocals have a metalcore quality to them, but the music is 100% thrash metal. Great guitar solos. Some awesome riffs. The vocals aren't bad at all, but I think aren't real distinctive either. He sounds like a lost of other modern singers. The lyrics aren't much to my liking.

I've heard some complaining that they sound somewhat like Lamb of God. Perhaps there are some similarities, but frankly, I think Lamb of God us a lot of recycled thrash riffs as well. First time I heard them I swore I had heard the riff before on an Anthrax record. So, don't let those reviews about Exodus going "metalcore" scare you.

ult

I think its great musically,Some of Holts lyrics I dont care for but besides that its a great release.I think the second half of the disc is better,Seems like the riffs are kinda samey on the first 3 songs.Overall its got killer solos,that great razorsharp guitar tone we all love of Exodus and I dont think Dukes vocals sound metalcore at all.

I think I'm gonna pick this one up.

blackieboy wrote:

I think I'm gonna pick this one up.

you should, it's a really really good thrash album. just as good as the last Exodus. there is no metalcore on this album. not sure where people are getting that. they definitely do NOT sound like Lamb Of God, in any way what so ever. i think alot of people just talk trash because they want Souza back. yes, Dukes has a more modern type style of singing, but it's not metalcore.

Christians will not like the lyrics any more than they would a Slayer album. it's pretty much anti-christian ranting on the majority of it.

I don't hear "metalcore" either, save for the vocal approach at times. I can hear some similarities to Lamb of God, only in that LoG use thrash riffs as does Exodus. The two bands really sound nothing alike otherwise.

I personally think Slayer's lyrics are much more intelligent than the new Exodus CD. Slayer's rants against Christians have mostly had to do with hypocrites behind the pulpet and other valid observations about religion. They've also had songs like "The Anti-Christ" which are more b-grade horror and shock value than the hardcore preaching against faith on the new Exodus.

Yeah, I really think the lyrics on Exodus' latter albums have been quite juvie.

Anyway - I almost bought this today, but I opted instead for the new Skeletonwitch. Blows this new Exodus out of the water. I went to Amazon and heard samps of the new Exodus, as well as Dekapitator, Evile, and many many others.

Skeletonwith IMO is the best thrash band out there now. They are like Kreator - if Kreator started now.

Hatchet is another one I'm quite impressed with. I can't wait til they release some material.

The thing with metalcore is that it's really not all that different from thrash or traditional heavy metal. Small nuances make a huge difference. Trivium is the best example. Take their first two albums and anyone will label them metalcore. Take The Crusade, however, which is the same musically, and people aren't so quick to label it metalcore. Those that do are those not willing to remove that negative tag from the band. "Metalcore" is a negative term these days. But it shouldn't be. Take Ralf Scheepers and Lord Goatanus and have them each do vocals for the same metal song and what will you have? A power metal song and a death metal song, right? Or most likely.

Metalcore is sort of a misnomer. It should have been used for bands like Pro-Pain, those that heavily mixed hardcore and metal. What we know as metalcore is really just thrash/traditional metal with a few twists (screamo vocals, breakdowns, etc.). It's not very different when you take away a few small but influential things.

My opinion, of course.

Metalcore and thrash do share some similarities for sure. I guess it
depends on what bands fit into your definition of thrash metal.

It all boils down to what bands suit your fancy.Some "metalcore"bands can pull it off better than others.Most are samey and leave the listener with no desire to give it another listen.

blackieboy wrote:

Skeletonwith IMO is the best thrash band out there now. They are like Kreator - if Kreator started now.

i listed this as one of my top 5 thrash albums of the year in an earlier thread. i like it better than the Exodus as well.

mc666 wrote:

blackieboy wrote:

Skeletonwith IMO is the best thrash band out there now. They are like Kreator - if Kreator started now.

i listed this as one of my top 5 thrash albums of the year in an earlier thread. i like it better than the Exodus as well.

Here I thought I was the first here to discover them. I must have missed your post. That's awesome you dig these guys. This is the type of thrash I can really sink my teeth into.

The new Exodus is good, but I had to pass on it for now.

Also I heard samples from Evile, Dekapitator, Fueled by Fire and many others. They are all good and I plan on getting all their stuff, but when I heard Skeletonwitch ... I was simply floored. I had to march over to The End right away. I even cheated on my cd budget heheh.

Last Exodus i heard was the Toxic Waltz from 1989.Are they as good still nowadays?Any of the same lineup?

80smetalrocks wrote:

Last Exodus i heard was the Toxic Waltz from 1989.Are they as good still nowadays?Any of the same lineup?

just Tom & Gary