Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an incredible debut....., April 18, 1999
By A Customer
When talking about the Great Thrash Movement of the 80's, this disc arguably, is the 2nd most influential thrash record ever made (right next to "Reign In Blood" by Slayer). A seriously punishing slab of thrash, "Bonded By Blood" was released in late '85 and immediately set the underground ablaze. The dual guitar team of Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt rips the listener to shreds with a barrage of lethal, adrenaline fueled riffs. While the riff style is similar to that of early "Kill 'em All" Metallica, (Kirk Hammett was Exodus' guitarist before joining Metallica), the songs themselves are overloaded with riff after riff of pure anger. Paul Bailoff, the lead singer, also lays down a torrid wave of vocal hatred that is utterly intense. He sounds like a certifiable maniac who's having the time of his life torturing his victims (which happens to be the listener!). All you have to do is listen to "A Lesson In Violence". More than 10 years after its' release, "Bonded..." production is still fresh sounding and up-to-date. The guitars are IN YOUR FACE and the vocals are audible and clear. It's a shame that all the problems they had with their record label (Torrid Records) and the repeated failures of living up to this classic thrash debut, made Exodus an also ran in thrash metal. "Bonded"... is one of the 10 Best Thrash records ever made, so if you don't own this, you have no business liking thrash/death metal. BUY OR DIE!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ONE OF THE BEST DEBUTS IN HISTORY!, October 9, 2005
There are very few albums out there that can match the intensity of this album. Exodus are legends in the THRASH genre and this is where it all started. If you are new to EXODUS or just discovered them due to "Tempo of The Damned (2004)" or "Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005)" then this is the next album you need to pick up. If you are just looking on where to introduce yourself to EXODUS, then you need to start here! Bonded By Blood was recorded in 1984 and took nearly a year to release due to red tape. I believe if this had been released in 1984 as intended, EXODUS would have gained much more respect from the metal community. Now to the music.
Bonded By Blood starts off with the title track. The riffs are crazy and heavy and very memorable. Paul Baloff (original vocalist) sounds more pissed off and violent than anything that came before this album with the exception of Slayer's "Show No Mercy." The riffs are full and chunky which will want to make you snap your neck banging! While I won't spoil the album for you by describing every track, I will say that the following are the stand out tracks: "And Then There Were None" which is a mid-paced song with vocals that are all over the place. This song is probably the most memorable and catchiest on the album. Then there is "Lesson in Violence" which is a song that is full of piss and vinegar and is still an Exodus "classic" to this day. This was also the original album title prior to using "Bonded By Blood." Any finally you have "Strike of the Beast" which EXODUS usually closes their set with to this day. A great song with heavy kick drums and fast riffs.
This album is so underrated by the overall metal community that it is criminal. This album clearly holds its own up against the debuts of SLAYER, METALLICA, ANTHRAX & MEGADETH but for whatever reason failed to garner the same success as these bands. I have over 2000 CDs and this one still makes it into my player at least one a week. A great album by a great band! Definitely one that I highly recommend!!
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Far Beyone mere "Thrash.", November 18, 2005
In my own little world this may be the single best album ever released, and it bothers me that so many reviewers feel the need to qualify their 5 stars with the THRASH label. Just as todays bands are jammed into little boxes marked "Grindcore" "Melo-Death" "Doom" etc, metal in the 80s was broken into ever fracturing sub genres. So Exodus was Thrash? So was D.R.I. and the two bands aren't exactly identical. Metallica was Thrash? What was Slayer? Was Dark Angel Death Metal? And can someone please get out the Brother P-Touch for DEATH Angel?
When describing any of these bands in the historical context of heavy music, labels are pointless.
Exodus was the best at what they did. For one monster of an album they had no equal. If there were no Exodus then . . . . make up you own dismal 311 or Audioslave populated future here. The California bands were so intertwined in the early 80s that one without the other could have meant the existence of none. And without them Gothenburg would still be a picturesque city where people eat meatballs and listen to nothing but Abba and Ace of Bass.
Bonded by Blood is one of the 5 most important heavy records ever made. You pick the other four.
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