5. Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned
Track List: 1. Scar Spangled Banner 2. War Is My Shepherd 3. Blacklist 4. Shroud Of Urine 5. Forward March 6. Culling The Herd 7. Sealed With A Fist 8. Throwing Down 9. Impaler 10. Tempo Of The Damned
Stand Out Track: War is My Shepherd. Thunderous groove and Steve 'Zetro' Souza's primal vokills combining to eliminate all that stand in their way. Returning after a 12 year recording hiatus, expectations for a new Exodus album were understandably high and the boys did not disappoint. Tempo of the Damned is good enough to give Exodus' classic albums a run for the money as they slash and stab their way through some of the catchiest material this side of a snot-drenched tissue. Scar Spangled Banner lets you know what to expect from the first note, Thrash with plenty of bite! War is my Shepherd follows and is a classic in the making while Blacklist is a mid-tempo smack in the face as vocalist Steve 'Zetro' Souza warns you of the consequences of making his s*it list. Admittedly, this is not a flawless album, Culling the Herd and Sealed with a Fist fail to hit with the intensity of the first five tracks but the tempo is restored when Exodus launch into Impaler. Credited as a song co-written by no less than Metallica's Kirk Hammet this is a monumental track that would have slayed the competition had it been released, as originally intended, back in the 80's. On Tempo Of The Damned, Exodus prove their success was no fluke and Souza's incessant screeching vocals are as untamed and feral as ever; a modern thrash classic from one of the great 80's bands and no mistake.