Exodus - 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine'
'Shovel Headed Kill Machine' (spot the missing hyphen, punctuation fans!) is the second post-reunion release from the band who always stood just outside the so-called 'Big Four' of 1980s thrash metal. It's probably to their ultimate benefit that Exodus did little but watch TV and drink beer for most of the '90s and were therefore not part of the major thrash bands undignified scramble to dilute their own sound, either by turning into a rap act (Anthrax), incorporating rancid nu-metal and hardcore influences and "getting down wit' da kids" (Slayer), or racing each other to see who could sell-out and turn into a pop band the quickest (Metallica and Megadeth). Now that the pendulum is swinging the other way and each of the erstwhile 'Big Four' are consciously attempting to return to their roots, the rejuvenated Exodus can smile quietly in the knowledge that their scene credibility remains relatively intact.
The Exodus of 2005 are quite literally a different beast from the group featured on 2003's "comeback" LP 'Tempo of the Damned' as the intervening years have seen the band's line-up broken down and built up again almost from scratch. No less a drummer than ex-Slayer/Forbidden man Paul Bostaph is now pounding the skins and he delivers the goods as admirably as you might expect, although the overly clickey and triggered-sounding production robs him of some power and individuality. New vocalist Rob Dukes has a somewhat raspier voice than his predecessors - indeed, on occasion he sounds exactly like Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom - and this gives the songs a bit of a contemporary "extreme metal" edge. Ex-Heathen riffer Lee Altus is the last of the new members, and his style meshes well with that of the omnipresent Gary Holt to produce a natural and exciting guitar partnership that sounds as if they've been playing together for a decade.
Despite the extensive line-up reshuffling, there is little here that will surprise or offend the faithful. Exodus deliver exactly what we want of them: ten tracks of quality, straight-up thrash metal done with style and conviction. The riffs are chugging and weighty, albeit vaguely familiar-sounding; you can sing 'Angry Again' by Megadeth over the main riff from 'Shudder To Think', for example. But although we're sailing in previously chartered waters, they're still shark infested ones. These songs have a groove apparently purpose-built to induce headbanging action, and tasty old-school guitar solos are peeled off at the drop of a hat. Personal favourites include the muscle-bound and speedy 'Deathamphetamine' and the neck-wrecking 'I Am Abomination', but there's not a bad track on here.
Unfortunately, the LP features the type of knock-off Andy Sneap production that has seemingly become regulation for noughties albums by second-stringer '80s thrash acts. Everything sounds clear and weighty enough, but it's slightly too digitally polished and characterless, especially in the drum department. The tight and springy bass sounds like Zebedee from 'The Magic Roundabout' pogoing in a mosh pit, though.
In summation, however, I can't imagine how anyone buying this LP will be disappointed. It won't change your life, but if you enjoy well-played, well-constructed metal you can bang your head to (and doesn't everyone?) then you'll find much to appreciate here. And as a bonus, the album doesn't start with one of those achingly clichéd "deceptively melodic" intros that have been bolted onto the front end of every other thrash LP since 'Master of Puppets'.