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EXODUS – TEMPO OF THE DAMNED
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EXODUS – TEMPO OF THE DAMNED
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Bacteria13
Hatross Overlord
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 2465
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 Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 5:35 pm Post subject: EXODUS – TEMPO OF THE DAMNED |
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EXODUS – TEMPO OF THE DAMNED (NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS)
The return of Exodus – does anyone care? Hell yes, the masses cried, especially with a blistering come-back album like ‘Tempo of the Damned’. The year is 2004, but Exodus has released an album straight out of the mid-eighties and brought Thrash Metal to the Metal-Mall kids. Sure, Exodus may be older and shuffling from rehab, but they can still do what that other famous San Francisco band cannot – write a damn good song and bang that head that doesn’t bang!
‘Scar Spangled Banner’ kicks things off, and immediately your donning your old spiked leather belt and denim jacket, posing in front of your bedroom mirror and playing air-guitar like you were 16 again. The nucleus of Exodus, duel guitarists Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt, are as devastating as ever, swapping leads – that’s guitar leads, Nu-Metal fans – like two screeching Banshees. Witness ‘War is my Shepard’, or the old oldie ‘Impaler’ (from their original demo) for sheer Thrash attack. It’s not all fast; there are mid-paced thumpers throughout – ‘Forward March’, for instance, where original drummer Tom Hunting pounds the skins like his life depended on it.
Thrash never sounded this good, and all thanks must surely go producer-supreme Andy Sneap; he has captured and harnessed the sound of Exodus that on their latter albums escaped them. I only wish Sodom would give him a call.
My only gripe is with vocalist Steve Souza. I was never a big Souza fan; I remained firmly in the sadly departed Paul (‘Bonded by Blood’) Baloff camp. Where I can respect and acknowledge what Souza has accomplished, it makes for pleasant day-dreaming to imagine how Baloff would have sounded on this record. And besides, I can’t help but think of Bobby Hill from US cartoon show ‘King of the Hill’ every time Souza opens his mouth to sing…
Still, minor gripes aside, Exodus are back, and with forthcoming albums from Thrash legends such as Kreator, Slayer, Heathen, Dark Angel, Voivod and Death Angel to come this year, the Metal that refuses to die is alive and undead – see you down at the front!
Bacteria13.
Last edited by Bacteria13 on Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:24 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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yuri
Who'sGOD Who'sDOG?
Joined: 04 Feb 2000
Posts: 5300
Location: South of Voivodland
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| Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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Man, i remember back in the mid 80's, being amazed by "Bonded by Blood," one of the best thrash records of all time, and reading all the hype about Exodus being the next "Metallica" (that is before they became big sellouts)
Suddenly, before their big break, Paul Barloff left the band and for some reason they recruited Mr. Souza who sounds like a midget Bon Scott, who can't really sing.
Then, it was all downhill for Exodus.
So after Mr. Barloff's unfortunate passing, Mr. Souza is back in the fold.
One has to wonder how things could have been different had they recruited a guy who can actually sing? |
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yuri
Who'sGOD Who'sDOG?
Joined: 04 Feb 2000
Posts: 5300
Location: South of Voivodland
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| I just heard "Scar Spangled Banner" and the song has it all: awesome guitars, pounding tempo, great solos, but the vocals just ruin everything.. if Exodus would get a decent vocalist, they would be scary! |
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Bacteria13
Hatross Overlord
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 2465
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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Some wishes do come true, afterall ...
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EXODUS Split With Vocalist, Guitarist Gary Holt Comments!!!! [Hot Flashes - 04.09.14 09:27:30]
EXODUS (www.exodusattack.com) have parted ways with vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has posted the following message in the “Forums” section of the band’s official website:
“Okay people, the word has leaked, so I'm here to give you a brief rundown.
Let me give you an idea of what we've had to deal with as far as that fat motherfuckin' shit brick is concerned. He pulled out of going to Mexico city only about twenty four hours before were ready to leave, saying, ‘I'm not getting on the plane, you'll see me on Thursday to go to South America."
He lied to our manager, saying that he had talked to me already about this, which was a total lie. He then ducked every fuckin' phone call and just hid out. The promoter had already paid a non-refundable 8 thousand dollars for the room and it would have been a disaster to have canceled. None of this mattered to that miserable piece of shit. The only thing he cares about is himself and money.
If only you could have heard some of the shit that has come out of his fat pie hole over the last couple of years. Things like, ‘Why does Jack get the same money as me, who the hell is he anyway?’ ‘We should hire a body guard for South America’, ‘If the fans want more than 12 songs out of me they should pay more money, they are getting their moneys worth already!’, ‘Why is Gary in the front of this promo picture, I should be in the front, that's copyright infringement!’, (true! he said that!).
There is soooo much more shit you wouldn't believe it. This motherfucker sat backstage and cried at Provinsi rock fest in Finland like a pussy. Waaaaaah! Now you can keep your fat fuckin' ass at home and go off your Atkins diet (like it's working lard ass!) and blow up as much as you'd like!
If he had been a man and finished his commitments and said that it's too hard and he can't do it anymore I'd have shaken his hand and wished him well, but not now. He is the enemy. I hate him more than I've ever hated anyone on this planet. He is human crap. Fuck him.
Some people wonder what will happen now. Well this band will continue. As for tight nit unity! The show in Mexico was the most liberating moment in my career, not have to listen to him bitch and complain once! And you know what? The crowd did not care. But I am not quitting. This is MY band (the thing that he hated most), I write the songs and I've got some crushing new shit written already. So fuck that pussy. Zetro is dead, love live Exodus!”
In another posting Holt gets into more details on what led to the singer’s departure:
“It's like this. Who in their right mind would put up with this kind of bullshit. Yes, he did a killer job on the new album, but mainly because we did not allow him to fuck everything up with his stupid Bon Scott impersonations anymore. We made him sing more like Baloff. I tried to make it work. More than you can imagine. But he was (is) the most miserable pile of crap to be around.
I ended the band in '93 because I could not stand the motherfucker. I vowed I'd never be in a band with him again. This time it seemed he had changed. For a while. In 2002 when we returned from Europe he called our booking agent and had him send the remaining deposits to he and he promptly stole the rest of our money. He was paid more than anyone for our U.S. tour. These shows would have paid him, us, and helped get us caught up to him but since his ass wasn't getting all the money he bailed on us, thinking he would take his ball and go home, ending the game. Well I've got some news motherfucker. Gary Holt does not go down that easily!
Any fan who questions firing him has to ask themselves this one question. Would YOU put up with this from you own (supposed) friends, family, or for that matter, any one! Fuck no you wouldn't! So should I pack this band up for good and start a new band? That's kind of like letting him win, now isn't it! But as for Zetro, he does think he could always go solo. (I've heard him say it myself!) Well best of luck to F-Bomb! You're gonna need it fat ass!”
In a later posting in the Forum, Holt apologizes for his previous statements.
Says Holt, “I would just like to take a moment to apologize to all on this board for, as one already said, taking the low road here.
While I stand by everything I said as the gospel truth I would also like to apologize for my personal attacks on Steve Souza. We have many of the same personal close friends and it's not fair of me to have maybe dragged them into the middle of this and as I am very fond of his family I regret possibly putting them in the middle of this as well. I am still VERY angry over this whole mess but I could have handled it in a more professional manner.
I do not think Steve will be easy to replace but it has to be done. A band can not continue when you have a cancer in its midst. I spent much time trying to make Zetro happy, on the road and off, but to no avail. And then he bails out on us about 26 hours before leaving for a sold out show in Mexico city, with no call to me to even try to explain himself. And this is after a lot of bullshit the last couple of years.
I could have been more graceful with my statement, but he could have left this band a lot more gracefully as well. It's a damn shame really, because I thought that we'd be able to work through all the other shit (which I had been giving a hall of fame effort to do so) but it just ain't gonna' happen.
I'm sorry to all the fans who were so stoked about Tempo, but I promise you all, the new album (which I'm already writing ) is going to crush. Nothing seems to get me motivated like anger these days, so you just have to trust me on this one.”
Holt then gets into more detail about his previous outburst in the following post:
“Sometimes you say things out of anger and after a while you calm down and think things through a little.
Was Zetro killer? Of course he was (is). Could we continue with the way things were going. No way.
I'll admit at times I feel like just starting over, but this band has been my life for my entire adult life. It's all I know. Zetro has family but so do I and this is way I'm best suited to take care of them. He has a really good job and I know he worries about his and his own. I do too. It should not have come to this though. All he had to do was a few more shows and call it a day.
Hell, if you are honest about your intentions, say that this is your last trip and you have to pack it up, why not go out with a bang and have a great time? Then we all hug and say fare thee well. But to be abandoned with out so much as a phone call is kind of hard to take. It feels like totally being betrayed. Hence the angry outburst.
I don't hate Steve. He's been one of my brothers, a comrade in arms for a long time. But it will take a long time to completely forgive him. But I do wish him happiness. He just could not find it here anymore.”
Stay tuned for more updates on the future of Exodus. |
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Killingismybusiness
Joined: 17 Sep 2004
Posts: 9
Location: The edge
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:26 am Post subject: |
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| yuri wrote: |
| I just heard "Scar Spangled Banner" and the song has it all: awesome guitars, pounding tempo, great solos, but the vocals just ruin everything.. if Exodus would get a decent vocalist, they would be scary! |
too true and from the looks of it they might.
also on a side note how about a review of The System Has Failed?
_________________
"Why Send Flowers When You Can Say It All With Guns?" |
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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I will say that I do not enjoy being a 'critic' esp. of my fave
thrash legends. I will always defend Zetro for being an awesome live performer. But this album really made me cringe. I thought it was too extreme. "Bonded" is a classic but is ina place for its time.Sneap is over-rated as producer I believe and don't like him here.I prefer the sound of Impact with louder drum and guitar harmonies or solos. More up to date. Zetro played some great shows I don't know how he can walk away from a sellout gig, in Mexico City. That is pretty disrespectful to the fans. I look forward to the next Exodus disc. |
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