Customer Reviews

Shovel Headed Kill Machine

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(4.5 stars)

The sticker on the cover of Exodus' latest disc, "Shovel Headed Kill Machine," brags that this is the "heaviest and meanest album of their career." This statement is furthered by some rather graphic cover artwork (which is a depiction of a futuristic, bloodied tank shooting while driving over skulls). And from the moment the opening track's punching riffs and pounding drums kick in, the listener knows that the sticker is probably true.

Newcomer Rob Dukes' vocals (which wouldn't be out of place on a Kreator album) are only so-so, but there's enough stellar musicianship to make up for that small flaw. Exodus' tenth album is full of dual guitar shredding (fiery riffs, smoking leads, and extended, wailing, Judas Priest-y solos), and fast, skillful drumming (by former Slayer skinsman Paul Bostaph).

"Deathamphetamine" features fast drumming which is complimented well by blowtorch, rapid-fire guitars, and a breakneck tempo change. Tracks three through six are fueled by catchy chug and churn riffs and thumping drums (plus track three has a long, four part guitar solo), and "Going Going Gone" has a pounding double bass as well as a great, memorable, shout-along chorus (which makes this song probably the catchiest on the album). Next, "Now Thy Death Day Come" includes more pulverizing guitar and drum work, and "44 Magnum Opus" is capped off by a searing solo. Finally, the album ending title cut is another scorcher, with a rocketing beat and still more propulsive, bullying riffs.

So, it's good to hear that Exodus have overcome losing three band members to release a new album. But it's even more exciting that this twenty year old band is, clearly, still at the top of its game. Plus, with all of the thrash imitators flooding the market today, it's downright refreshing to hear a slab of sharp, genuine, blistering speed metal. And, as another reviewer said, if you have nostalgia for old-school metal from the 1980's, "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" was made for you.

In terms of quality 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine' is only marginally better than the last Exodus album, but in terms of thrashiness it blows it out of the water. 'Tempo of the Damned' had too damn much groove, too clean of production, clicky, wussy drums and not enough straight head pounding palm-muted driving riffs to be true, classic thrash. It was thrash, but it was *modern* thrash. Not so here. This is real classic thrash. That's not a recommendation in and of itself, necessarily, but it's pretty rare nowadays, so much so that we got so many people imagining that whatever album or band is the rebirth of thrash. This album provides the clearest reminder that no, none of that modern, core or melodeathified stuff so many people have been ranting over is thrash. But, on the down side, this means we're working in extremely well established parameters, were you aren't gonna find anything new, and it's gonna be pretty tough to top what came before. And it doesn't, but it's still a helluva good time and the thrashiest album of the last 10 years. (That I've heard, anyway.)

The cover says Exodus, but we don't have much of the same band, with only Gibson and Holt returning. Paul Bostaph fills in for Tom Hunting, and easily out does him. (Though this is partially the harder, heavier production on the drums that helps it) Lee Altus joins Gary Holt on the guitar, and this album has easily the finest leadwork of any Exodus album I've heard. Rob Dukes replaces Steve 'Zetro' Souza on the vox (himself two time replacement for Paul 'Worst Singer in the History of Thrash' Baloff) and is sufficiently competent, if not especially remarkable. He does a kinda half-bark half-growl, which is acceptable, but not very dynamic. He's nothing for melody, but has got aggression done pretty well.

The overly clean and sharp production of 'Tempo of the Damned' has been toned down a bit, still plenty clear but a bit more pushed together with a really punishing guitar tone. Now, this isn't to say there was anything horribly wrong with the TotD production, this album's is just about ideal. Well, I think the guitars could use a little more high end, a little less sludge, but it's totally nitpicking at this point. Also, the lyrics aren't as cringe-inducingly juvenile as they were on the last album. They're cliched, for sure, but these are good cliches, and are mercifully free of the 'clever' puns and parodies that were common on TotD. Well, it still has some, actually, but they aren't nearly as lame.

The album opens with the weakest track. 'Raze' has decent vocals and a passably catchy chorus, but the verse and chorus riffs are weak as hell. Still, it's more than passable. 'Deathamphetamine' is the strongest track, and is a beautiful example of the sorta thrash epic that 'Forward March' wasn't. Good, extended intro, tons of riffs and some really stunning lead work, easily the best on the album. 'Karma's Messenger' has a groovier chorus, but it's real catchy and fits in with the thrashing verses nicely. It's also got a great middle break, with shrieking, harmonized guitars over a speeding drumbeat. And, frankly, other than that it's tough to come up with any real standout tracks. Just pure driving thrash from beginning to end. It is somewhat mid paced fairly often, but it never moves into groove-thrash territory. Just solid riffs, solid leads, passably interesting choruses etc.

This is as thrash as metal gets, and probably twice as thrash as anything that come out in the new millennia. If that's what you want, you won't be disappointed.

Hey, wouldn't it be great if Kirk Hammett of Metallica realized that his band had literally choked on their own 'superstardom' and rejoined his ORIGINAL bandmates, Exodus, who appear to be only getting better with age. That is, if Metallica's demise hasn't sapped him of his once excellent guitar playing ability. With the departure of Rick Hunolt, Steve Souza and Tom Hunting leaving guitarist Gary Holt as the sole original member, Exodus is now somewhat of a partial 'supergroup' with Lee Altus (of Heathen) and Paul Bostaph (of Slayer and Forbidden). Holt and Altus definitely click on the dual guitar attack. New vocalist Rob Dukes sounds a little high-pitched at first (as evidenced on 'Raze') but settles in nicely as the album progresses. Standout tracks include 'Deathampthetamine', 'Karma's Messenger', 'Altered Boy' (a cool pun on 'altar boy' attacking pedophile priests), 'Going Going Gone' and '.44 Magnum Opus', but really I like 'em all.. So I'd say that that this version of the 'Exodus lineup' is an interesting one, but that does not take away from the fact that the latest album is noticeably more brutal than the previous 'Tempo Of the Damned', also a personal favorite. So Kirk, what do you think of coming back to where you started. At this point Exodus is a brutally unstoppable thrash machine. But once again, I'm just wondering how a guitar duo of 'Holt and Hammett' would hypothetically sound like today if they were to re-unite. Anybody ever thought of that? An awesome release!

Some say that thrash and speed metal died in 1989 following Testament's "Practice what you Preach". Wrong. Over the course of the last 5 years thrash metal has reared its head once again and is blowing up the metal scene. The new Exodus album is straight brutal thrash. New singer sounds great, guitars are shredding 100 MPH, old school metal with a brutal fresh take. Even as a hardcore 80's thrash fan, I absolutely reccomend this CD to anyone who loves fast, driving rhythm guitar, pounding drums and screaming solos. Great pick. Grab this CD with the new Overkill and Testament's "The Gathering" and help put thrash/speed metal back on the thrown where It should be.

For those familiar with Exodus history.. the 2005 chapter in the never-ending Exodus saga finds the band without singer "Zetro" Souza, drummer Tom Hunting and long time guitarist Rick Hunolt. This means 60% of the band that recorded "Tempo of the Damned" and toured on 2004 is gone.
I own a couple of audio bootlegs of the band playing European festivals on 2004 and to say they kicked butt is an understatement, so, I was kind of apprehensive about this album, not because of Zetro leaving but because the only remaining Exodus member is Gary Holt... and then there was one..

I've never been a fan of Zetro'a singing. I believe if the band had picked a different singer after Paul Baloff left the band, their fate would have been different, so the burning question here is: is new singer Rob Dukes a hope for all those who couldn't stand Zetro's singing?

Well, Maybe.
In the album opener Raze Mr. Dukes sounds like a genetically engineered version of Zetro and Baloff singing..
Things get a little more interesting in the following song, the awesome 8+ minute long Deathamphetamine.
In some parts of the next tune "Karma's Messenger" you can hear Mr. Dukes real voice coming out, and it (thankfully) doesn't sound like Bon Scott. In "Now Thy Death Day Come" Dukes does his best Tom Araya.. a welcome change in singing styles.

Does "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" sound like the old Exodus?
Not exactly.. to me it sounds like an improved version, with a better singer and with Paul Bostaph's amazing drumming (Dave Lombardo's replacement in Slayer) how can anything go wrong?

Regardless of whether this album sounds like vintage Exodus (which it mostly does) or not. SHKM is a truly awesome, pounding and intense thrash record, that gets better each time you listen to it..

It may not be as good as Bonded by Blood, but then again, very few albums can top Exodus' crushing debut..

After listening to this album back-to-back against Exodus' "Tempo of The Damned" and most of the top Metal albums released in 2005, i can truly say that Shovel-headed Kill Machine is a near metal masterpiece! This album in my book is one of the best releases of 2005!

The first Exodus album I ever heard was "Force of Habit". Want to talk about TRASH? I hated it. Everything about it.

Fast forward almost 10 years later...and I found this one used. I figured, "What the hell, at least the cover looks good." Just one word: WOW.

I cannot believe how freaking heavy this is. The drums, the guitars, even the bass guitar fit perfectly. Rob Dukes COULD fit on a Kreator album, or Necrodeath, Destruction, any of those German and European thrash bands. His vocals fit the music PERFECTLY. "Deathamphetamine" is by far one of the best thrash songs. It has enough punch, time changes, leads and harsh vocals to give (old) Metallica a run for their money.

I recommend this album to anyone who thought Exodus was dead...guess what? They aren't.

Yep, that quote sums it up. Old-school thrashers Exodus are back with a biteback vengeance, and they will kick you senseless if you stand in their way. This is by far one of the most visceral, unadalterated, and violent thrash albums to come out in the past few years. Gary Holt definitely had the fire in his belly when writing this album, and he brought in the perfect line-up to round out the band.

I'll start with the songwriting. It's solid, aggressive, and to-the-point. No flashy technical bullcrap, no sissy acoustic breaks or pseudo-epic solos. It's straight-ahead, poser-plowing thrash meant for the real metalheads. Most of the songs are following a streamline structure of: intro,verse,chorus, repeat, solo, verse, chorus, etc... But every song has enough variety in riffs and approach to keep battering you over the head. "Deathamphetamine" and "44 Magnum Opus" break the mold, both of them being over 6 minutes long. (In fact, the former is almost 9 minutes long, but it's a constant barrage of true metal and never gets boring!) The rhythm guitars are chunky and hold a nice tone, while the solos cut through like a fine-honed sword. Paul Bostaph sits behind the kit on this album, and dominate he does. His unreal endurance is on full display, such as the ripping title track or the catchy opener "Raze." The drum sound on this album is amazing as well; gut-punching bass drums, metallic sounding snare, and a fat tom sound give the album's top-notch production an even better sound.

Of course, I'll also mention the addition of new vocalist Rob Dukes. Imagine a mix between all of the old Exodus vocalists, Phil Anselmo, and Overkill's vocalist... Ok, now add in classic Exodus lyrics (much improved from the last album, by the way) and a pissed-off attitude, and that's about it. A friend of mine once said that, "The sound of that guy's voice is the sound of men who beat their wives." lol, and it's not too far from the truth. He's definitely pissed, and spews out the lyrics with the snide, ironic attitude needed, as well as conviction.

My favorite tracks are definitely the satirical "Altered Boy", as well as the title track and "Now Thy Death Day Come." Recommended to all fans of metal. Expect a furious onslaught.

The title says it all, from the get-go this album grabs you by the throat and then proceeds to beat the living crap out of you as thrash was always meant to do, but something is definately different.

The previous Exodus "come-back" album Tempo of the Damned was classic thrash, a bit darker than Exodus was used to but very familiar sounding. Perhaps the only thing that could have made the album better was the late Paul Baloff (RIP). However some of the songs that guitarist Gary Holt had written were taken from Wardance (a Pantera influenced band he formed when Exodus broke up back in 1992), and they had little to do with what what fond memories we had of punishing each other senseless in the pit all those years ago to their sharp as knives brand of speed/thrash metal.

Strangely things were seemingly falling apart for the band. Vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza (founding member of Testament) was dismissed early on without much ado, original drummer Tom Hunting was taken ill and unable to continue with the band, and then guitarist Rick Hunolt (Kirk Hammet's replacement in Exodus) decided to spend more time with his family... leaving Gary Holt the sole founding member of Exodus (although truth be told the band had existed before he joined in another incarnation). But now what?

Some might have called it a day for the band as some throw in the towel very quickly when important members leave, (such as Dark Angel) but Gary probably felt his second wind when he heard vocalist Rob Dukes. Finally a vocalist who most people could agree on, as fierce in delivery as Testament's Chuck Billy, with as much venom as Dark Angel's Don Doty. Paul Bostaph (another San Fran native formerly of Forbidden, Testament and Slayer) seemed an obvious replacement for the ecclectic brutality of Tom Hunting behind the kit. But few could have imagined Rick Hunolt's departure, so Gary went back to the masters and recruited Heathen's (again from SF) underrated Lee Altus on guitar.

From there, Holt could have played it safe and written another Tempo of the Damned... but his choice was to take the band to the next level. More wicked and cut throat Shovel starts things off with a bang in Raze and doesn't give in until the ending title track. This album is indeed the heaviest Exodus album ever, and is probably much more savage and relevant than anything Slayer has done in over a decade. The guitars are much more pummeling and thick (with almost a Forbidden: Green approach), the bass pounds with sludge that producer Andy Sneap (Testament, Nevermore, Arch Enemy, everyone) has finally been able to isolate without drowning out other instruments, the drums explode with as much resonance and speed as you'd expect from Paul Bostaph (however he is never predictable and brings the Exodus sound far more up to date, without grooving)... and the vocals deliver, no question. For those who had been avoiding Exodus because neither Paul Baloff nor Steve Souza was their cup of tea, (or shot of Jager) this album is definately one you should check out! And if there's any justice in this world you should definately check out the band live, because this band is much closer to perfection than possibly ever before, and knwo knows when we'll be blessed with another live album.

Although the melody parts are still present in Exodus' sound they are few and farther between, but given the uncompromising unapologetic and highly determined direction Shovel Headed Kill Mahcine is taking, it fits.

And now Exodus is a super group of sorts, and SHKM is only proof positive reinforcement of each member's talents and how well they work together. This 3rd chapter of Exodus should definately not be missed, for had this album been a representation of the band back in the day... Exodus would have been perched in their rightful place very high among the now ailing and questionable directions of the big four of thrash (Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth). Don't sleep on this one thrash hellions, pick it up now!!!

I know people have been complaining that this is not Exodus 'cause they lost two singers, a guitarrist and a drummer. They do sound different but they rock as hard as ever. I actually think they got even harder in this one. Bostaph is an excellent replacement in drums. He impressed everyone when he took over for Lombardo in Slayer and he is even better now in Exodus. Even though I really liked Souza and Baloff, the new singer makes them sound harder and darker. If you are a hardcore Exodus fan you need to get it, it will be a nice change. If you are NOT a fan, get it anyway cause this is very good Thrash Metal.

I was upset when I found out that the mighty Exodus had made a change in the vocalist area since "Tempo..." but Holy F**k I couldn't believe my ears!!! I'm a diehard Exodus fan so I was kinda skeptical but as soon as "Raze" came on I was Thrashed! This is definitely their most brutal recording ever!! Every song on here will smash your face like a hammer!! A Kick to the nutz!!Buy it!!!