Review Summary: m/
Why does thrash metal exist? It's not around for its beauty or diligence (except for Master of Puppets). It's definitely not meant to be contemplative. All thrash bands do some experimenting, but don't often stray far from what's already been established as acceptable and status quo in the genre. No, thrash has one purpose. To energize, pummel, and invigorate you with sheer speed and aggression. With those criteria in mind, there are very few thrash albums I can recommend more strongly than Exodus' 2005 monster, Shovel Headed Kill Machine.
Thrash, being sort of a 'bridge' genre between standard heavy metal and the likes of black and death metal, takes on a few different forms. The genre was first conceived on the idea of combining the force of normal heavy metal with the speed and aggression of hardcore punk, and eventually led to more extreme genres being conceived. You have bands like Metallica and Overkill, whose music tends to contain more melody and longer songs, so they lean more toward the New Wave of British Heavy Metal style. You have Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, who were obviously more influenced by hardcore than anything. Then you have Slayer and the Teutonic trio (Destruction, Sodom, Kreator), who played a big hand in brutalizing the genre and spawning death and black metal. What makes Exodus so impressive is that they've been able to lay and maintain roots in all three of those territories. They easily have as much pure talent, throughout the lineup, as any thrash band out there, keeping their pure speed tracks interesting by simultaneously integrating a fair bit of melody and musical proficiency while they're in attack mode. Gary Holt has a rare talent for writing scathing and sarcastic political/social commentaries, again and again. And they can THRASH at lightning speed with serious heaviness.
Shovel Headed Kill Machine consists of ten tracks, all of which have a common goal of bludgeoning you to death. It's not unlike Reign in Blood, Darkness Descends, or Pleasure to Kill in that regard. Helping the album's cause in a big way is the unique mix provided by the always awesome Andy Sneap. Thanks to him, every whack of that piercing snare drum causes your head to involuntarily lurch forward and then back, and the double-bass frenzies in Karma's Messenger and 44 Magnum Opus sound like incoming thunderstorms. The bass is always present in the mix and makes this anvil of an album that much heavier and nastier. The guitars sound like wood planers and the sheer force of Gary and Lee's excellent riffs and solos could dissolve a pile of bricks.
Prior to recording, Exodus lost three of the five band members that recorded the amazing Tempo of the Damned. Longtime drummer Tom Hunting left, and the filthy Paul Bostaph took his place. Whereas Tom is more of a heavy, blue collar metal drummer, Bostaph is a finesse drummer that can slam as fast as anyone. Shovel Headed Kill Machine was tailor made for him, and some of the drum fills he pulls off are unreal. Guitarist Rick Hunolt supposedly had a drug problem, and the band's leader, guitarist Gary Holt, recruited Lee Altus to fill his place. One listen to this disc or any newer Exodus album, and you'll agree with my thinking that this was a net gain. Lastly, Rob Dukes. His voice doesn't have nearly as much flair as Paul Baloff, nor is his voice as sharp and instantly recognizable as Steve Souza. Because of this, it's cool to hate Rob Dukes. All the neo-thrashers think of him as a 'scene kid' or that hardcore guy or whatever. I've even heard 'wigger' a few times. It's nonsense, because Dukes does his job with this band, and does it well. His voice is fairly generic, but he keeps every song going. On Shovel Headed Kill Machine, he sounds like a higher-pitched Max Cavalera. He doesn't ever amaze, but his harsh yet clear delivery certainly contributes to the album's nasty rhythms and imposing nature.
As I said earlier, this album's mission statement is simply to wear you down with thrash insanity. Yet all the way through, a certain amount of melody is always maintained, and that actually helps to make the tracks more intense. Instead of Kreator or Slayer riffing and soloing at about 40 notes per second, most of which are completely incomprehensible, Exodus (or Gary, since he's the chief songwriter) always plays frantic yet high quality material with plenty of room to breathe and even intensify further. Take the bridge of 44 Magnum Opus. Kerry King or Mille Petrozza would take this as the green light to conjure up some of the aforementioned overkill, but instead Gary and Lee both play a very simple yet heavy and wildly effective riff over Bostaph's hurricane drumming. The result makes you want to bang your head against a wall (in a good way). Or Karma's Messenger, which has a high quality melodic solo that works better than anything Jeff Hanneman would have come up with.
With the exception of one, every track on the album is awesome. But a few bear special mention. 'Deathampetamine' may be over 8 minutes long, but its speed is absolutely dizzying and it never once loses momentum. Both Bostaph and bassist Jack Gibson work together to create a nearly overbearing bottom for Gary, Lee, and Dukes. 'I Am Abomination' is one of the few tracks that isn't all about speed. Instead, this is arguably the album's heaviest track. The main riff is terrific, and while the guitar solo is a bit noisier than the rest of the album's, it works. Damn well. This one wasn't as well written as it was flawlessly executed, and the mix helped it a lot. For almost any other band, this is average filler. Lastly, the great 44 Magnum Opus. All of the album's speed, aggressiveness, heaviness, and excellence comes to a head in this 7 minute monstrosity with all the anger and craziness of a derailed train barreling down a mountain.
I've given this album some high praise here, and I feel it's all deserved. But keeping the album from getting a perfect 5 is the black sheep track, 'Shudder to Think'. This is mid paced filler at its finest, and it doesn't have one redeeming quality about it. It's weak, and has no place on an otherwise disgustingly good metal album.
If you like or just merely appreciate thrash, this is required listening. And if you don't like it, well then I guess you just don't like metal. Enjoy your Neutral Milk Hotel, loser.
Recommended Tracks:
Deathampetamine
I Am Abomination
Going Going Gone
44 Magnum Opus
