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Thrash back: Exodus – Pleasures of the Flesh (1987)
Sometimes making a classic album can be a real pain in the ass. Whilst no-one would dispute that ‘Bonded By Blood’ (1985) – Exodus’s debut record – is a bonafide Metal classic, in truth it is often the case that people look no further once they own it. That is a crying shame. Although Exodus have never repeated the unbridled fury of that release, their subsequent discography is packed full of molten metal which deserves to be heard more widely. ‘Pleasures of The Flesh’ – the band’s second record – is one of those records. It may be one of the most underrated metal albums ever recorded.
Here the band realised that they couldn’t repeat the unbridled fury of ‘Bonded….’ so they didn’t try. Instead, they looked for musical growth, something which all of the ‘Big 4’ and many of the 2nd wave of Bay Area Thrash bands (Testament, Death Angel, Forbidden) were injecting into the genre. Gone were the days when Thrash was about speed and speed only. Here the band explored soft/heavy dynamics, made greater use of twin guitar work and wrote what is easily their best collection of rabble-rousing choruses (the bane of many a Thrash band). New vocalist Steve Souza also brought breadth to the band – he may never have become as iconic as original vocalist Paul Baloff, but his raspy tone added a snarl and a subtle sense of melody which gave the band more breadth. Lyrically, they were able to begin to move away from tired ‘evil’ metal clichés into the realm of social commentary which always suited metal this gritty better.
None of this should suggest, of course, that ‘Pleasures….’ is not a monstrously heavy record. It certainly is. Opener ‘Deranged’ has the kind of crunch that kills and drips with the relentless violence you expect from the Kings of the Bay Area; and ‘Choose Your Weapon’ and ‘Faster Than You’ll Ever Live To Be’ are some of the finest Thrash tunes you’ve never heard. Here the guitar is a sonic chisel – the tone could flay skin. None of the power is lost as the band grows. ‘Seeds Of Hate’ is brutally heavy and melodic, whilst the seven-minute title-track shows more than a little love for Maiden’s melodies and sense of grandeur. Slowing down a little if anything added power. The riff to ‘Parasite’, for example, is a neck breaker which propels this underheralded metal anthem into the stratosphere. The menace is chilling: ‘run….but you can’t hide’. Bang your head, motherfucker! By the time you get to ‘Brain Dead’ – which is heavy enough to level cities – you’ll wonder why it wasn’t the ‘Big 5’.
Few bands are more powerful than Exodus. Even with a piss-poor ‘80s production, the raw, bloody power of these songs blasts from the speakers. ‘Pleasures…’ is the sound of the band progressing and growing. It takes balls of steel not to repeat the formula of a classic debut, but balls are something which Exodus has never lacked.
Sometimes making a classic album can be a real pain in the ass. Whilst no-one would dispute that ‘Bonded By Blood’ (1985) – Exodus’s debut record – is a bonafide Metal classic, in truth it is often the case that people look no further once they own it. That is a crying shame. Although Exodus have never repeated the unbridled fury of that release, their subsequent discography is packed full of molten metal which deserves to be heard more widely. ‘Pleasures of The Flesh’ – the band’s second record – is one of those records. It may be one of the most underrated metal albums ever recorded.
Here the band realised that they couldn’t repeat the unbridled fury of ‘Bonded….’ so they didn’t try. Instead, they looked for musical growth, something which all of the ‘Big 4’ and many of the 2nd wave of Bay Area Thrash bands (Testament, Death Angel, Forbidden) were injecting into the genre. Gone were the days when Thrash was about speed and speed only. Here the band explored soft/heavy dynamics, made greater use of twin guitar work and wrote what is easily their best collection of rabble-rousing choruses (the bane of many a Thrash band). New vocalist Steve Souza also brought breadth to the band – he may never have become as iconic as original vocalist Paul Baloff, but his raspy tone added a snarl and a subtle sense of melody which gave the band more breadth. Lyrically, they were able to begin to move away from tired ‘evil’ metal clichés into the realm of social commentary which always suited metal this gritty better.
None of this should suggest, of course, that ‘Pleasures….’ is not a monstrously heavy record. It certainly is. Opener ‘Deranged’ has the kind of crunch that kills and drips with the relentless violence you expect from the Kings of the Bay Area; and ‘Choose Your Weapon’ and ‘Faster Than You’ll Ever Live To Be’ are some of the finest Thrash tunes you’ve never heard. Here the guitar is a sonic chisel – the tone could flay skin. None of the power is lost as the band grows. ‘Seeds Of Hate’ is brutally heavy and melodic, whilst the seven-minute title-track shows more than a little love for Maiden’s melodies and sense of grandeur. Slowing down a little if anything added power. The riff to ‘Parasite’, for example, is a neck breaker which propels this underheralded metal anthem into the stratosphere. The menace is chilling: ‘run….but you can’t hide’. Bang your head, motherfucker! By the time you get to ‘Brain Dead’ – which is heavy enough to level cities – you’ll wonder why it wasn’t the ‘Big 5’.
Few bands are more powerful than Exodus. Even with a piss-poor ‘80s production, the raw, bloody power of these songs blasts from the speakers. ‘Pleasures…’ is the sound of the band progressing and growing. It takes balls of steel not to repeat the formula of a classic debut, but balls are something which Exodus has never lacked.
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