Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Highlights: The Ballad of Leonard and Charles, Class Dismissed, Downfall, March Of The Sycophants, The Sun Is My Destroyer
Bay Area Thrash legends Exodus is one of those bands that I was always a casual fan of. I never really went out of my way to own anything more than their 1988 release “Fabulous Disaster.” Exodus was one of those bands that literally slipped through the cracks for me. They were one of those bands that I would hear hanging at a friends house and think “This is really good.” but then forget about it 20 minutes later at no fault of theirs. Fast forward to 2010 and I’m catching what is probably one of the best metal tours I’ve seen in years: Megadeth/Testament/Exodus. I was really pumped to see Exodus as the last time I had seen them was back in 1988. I was floored with just how great these guys were and was curious to hear what their forthcoming album “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” would sound like.
“Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is a concept album of sorts with the violent nature of mankind as it’s underlying theme. The album cover itself ties in with the very concept with the band offering it’s own violent version of diVinci’s sketch of Vitruvian Man. Serial killers, forgotten children and the corruption of the world at the hands of Religion are all covered here. This album is like the Thrash metal CNN. Lyrically the album is an eye opener and is definitely not for the faint at heart. “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is an epic metal album in the true sense of the word. The songs average around 6-7 minutes long and they utilize every damn minute that they have. While the album is quite ambitious, it has earned a nod for what I believe to be a contender for Album of the Year. Each song is riff after riff after hook after riff and showcases the band’s ability to skillfully construct songs of epic proportions. The guitar work of longtime member/songwriter/founder Gary Holt and fellow guitarist Lee Altus is so damn melodic that it makes me wish that more bands would embrace the two guitar configuration and fucking use it. Add to that the stop on a dime tightness of drummer Tom Hunting and bassist Jack Gibson and you’ve got a force to be reckoned with.
One of the things that I love the most about “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is the production. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it for the millionth fucking time. Why do bands put out crappy sounding albums especially when they’re a great fucking band. Well, Exodus doesn’t have that issue. The band tapped Andy Sneap to produce the album and it sounds like what a classic Metal album should sound like. Not only does it sound live but the guitars are fat in the mix, the bass is present and the drums sound like fucking guns going off. It’s not muddy and its not thin sounding. It’s a fat, full mix that has the band sounding as good on album as they do live. Take note boys and girls. This is what an album should sound like!
The other thing I love about “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is that Exodus has managed to use every ounce of talent they have and not hold back. There are so many bands that I know are capable of doing so much more that sometimes it’s frustrating to hear them only giving a percentage of what they can give. Now I’m not saying that Exodus has used up their talent on this album but it just seems that they have managed to give every ounce of blood, sweat and skill that they have to making the best possible album they could make. By doing this, Exodus has managed to create what I consider to be an absolute Metal masterpiece that completely obliterates and melts my face to no end. There isn’t a single skippable track on this masterpiece but in my opinion, “Downfall” is the song that has Exodus performing at their best and boasting the art of putting together a great fucking song. The song has some great transitions and Rob Dukes vocal delivery is nothing less than outstanding.
“Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is an album that I can only hope Exodus is super proud of. Some bands have made albums that are deserving of being that proud of. For Iron Maiden it was “Powerslave”, for Metallica it was “Master of Puppets” and for Exodus it should be “Exhibit B: The Human Condition”. Exodus has managed to create a face melting masterpiece that I feel will not only stand the test of time for many years to come but I feel that it is completely worth of being considered a classic album in it’s own right. “Exhibit B: The Human Condition” is the album that Metallica only wishes that they could make if only their testicles would descend enough for them to do so.
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