The 1st TWO from EXODUS
We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase after clicking on links from our site. Learn more
This episode is dedicated to one of a handful of times in thrash metal history where the first two albums have two totally different singers, giving the illusion of two totally different “first new albums”.
And since this is an episode of firsts, we felt that diving into BONDED BY BLOOD (the first album with Paul Baloff on vocals) and PLEASURES OF THE FLESH (the first album with Steve “Zetro” Souza on vocals) together would be an excellent way to compare and contrast the mighty thrash power of Big Five Thrash Masters EXODUS and offer the perfect opportunity to hear the evolution of the band’s sound (from first to first, as it were) and get a better feel for the profound stylistic progression between these two uniquely distinctive debuts (with Baloff & Souza, respectively).
Listen on iTunes, Spotify, Podbean, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your Podcasts.
Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182
Follow us on the Socials:
Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Can’t be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify
Metal Nerdery Munchies on YouTube
Check out EXODUS on the InterWebs: https://exodusattack.com/site/
It's time to understand what happens when you’re “hangin’ your dangle” off the boat to “air dry” while simultaneously adjusting your “shutter speed” and aperture. Hopefully “the sheilas” and the djentlemen are both listening so they can behold the “gummified” horror that unfolds “when the bag of syrup is almost out” and JOIN US for this double dive of EXODUS firsts, with Baloff’s BONDED BY BLOOD & Souza’s PLEASURES OF THE FLESH.
BONDED BY BLOOD
BONDED BY BLOOD:
Okay, so while some of us may have made an error in our judgment regarding Paul Baloff’s eerie vocal nuances, it is without question VERY effective…because it’s the FIRST thing to come to mind whenever this song comes on.
Definitely has that Ride The Lightning thickness in the production department. And of course, the 1985 reverb/echo and the nervous lyrical climb of original Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff (R.I.P.).
For a debut album, the production quality is on par with (if not superior to) the debuts by the rest of The Big Five. Very full and balanced. Totally the soundtrack to mid-80’s thrash.
“Black magic rites on this black evil night
Begin with the slice of the blade
Metal and blood come together as one
Onlookers they gasp in dismay…”
EXODUS:
(It’s their Exciter moment…kind of…).
Definitely sounds like 1985. Only the 2nd song in and I feel like Exodus would have likely been in The Big Four if they’d have released this a year earlier, although Megadeth’s debut wasn’t released until after BBB…soooooo…WTF?
That double bass is punchy as fuck. The lyrics seem even more intense than the opener.
“It comes to me late at night
When I feel like being cruel
Whip out the chains and get the knife
And slay some innocent fool…”
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE:
There’s really no other way to know how 1985 thrash sounded without that eerie vocal echo. It almost sounds as if they recorded the vocals in some haunted, underground catacombs.
More mid-tempo and heavy than fast and thrashy. There’s something kinda charming about the reverb/echo on the vocals…and the backing “gang” vocals. Nice use of the Satanic vocal effects.
The riff change in the middle around the 2:40 mark is cool. Sort of progressive thrash in a way.
And the solos fit right in. Great work, H-Team!
“Children crying and people dying
No salvation from this holocaust
Bodies burning and now they’re learning
In war, painful death’s the bloody cost…”
A LESSON IN VIOLENCE:
Definitely one of the fastest, thrashiest tracks yet. Probably the first, really fast, thrasher on the album up to this point.
Is it weird that this (album) seems like a mashup of Metallica and Slayer from THAT time, or is it just me?
“Fight for what you believe to be right
Crushing with all your might
I laugh at their pitiful cries
They run from the fire in my eyes…”
METAL COMMAND:
Definitely has the 1985 thrash anthem vibe going on.
This might be the most basic Exodus riff on the album thus far, but if you put your ’85 hat on, contextually it sounds right & it totally fits. But relative to the first 4 songs, this one is the least awesome thus far.
(This might be Exodus’ “Escape”.)
“There is no retribution
For those who do not dare
There’s only execution
You’re dead without a prayer…”
PIRANHA:
Ladies, you’re definitely gonna wanna stay out of the water if it’s bleedin’ season, as piranhas are like a bunch of mini-sharks broken up into a murderous school.
That darker, Egyptian, middle eastern sounding riff is definitely the trademark sound of Exodus (How fitting? Did you see what I did there?).
Again, nice use of the demon vocal effect. This album is a perfect example of why Exodus should be considered part of The Big 5 of Thrash and why we should just do away with the concept of The Big 4 altogether.
Then again, maybe Exodus should just “identify” as a Big Four band going forward and not worry about it ever again. It’s 2023, and “technically” since they released their debut album before Megadeth did, then “technically” that means they were a Big Four band before Megadeth was. Or not. Whatever. Don’t worry about it.
“Their sole mission is to kill
Strip your bones and flesh
Rip out your eyes, tear off your face
An agonizing death…”
NO LOVE:
Definitely a cool, soft intro.
Obviously, riffs were of the utmost importance back in the day, but amazing acoustic chops could also be an indication & confirmation to other musicians (even bass players) of one’s sophistication as a musician. Plus, it was considered a staple for any 80’s thrash band (and really, as far as the 80’s go, almost any metal band) to have a well-orchestrated soft intro to open the song.
The beautifully intricate acoustic (soft) intro at the beginning of the song certainly showcases the guitar prowess of the H-Team (Gary Holt & Rick Hunolt).
You’ve gotta love the pitch shifted guitar solo…not sure any of the other of The Big Five did anything like this on any of their debut albums. This song definitely showcases the more progressive elements of Exodus’ sound that would continue to evolve over the course of their catalog going forward.
“The darkness is my lover
She makes me feel strong
Take what I want, when I want
At night I do no wrong…
DELIVER US TO EVIL:
If one didn’t know any better, it might seem like Exodus was gunning for “most evilest” thrash band of The Big Five (perhaps even eviler than Slayer…the irony).
One of the rites of passage of all young thrash musicians back in the day was to write a “progressive” song and cram as many riffs and melodies into it as possible. This was the uber-prog thrash song for Bonded by Blood…more twin guitar solo madness…and pitch shifting.
“Lead us into temptation
A reign of terror will begin
Deliver us to evil,
We promise death, world’s end
STRIKE OF THE BEAST:
The very beginning of “Fuck The System!” by System of a Down sounds kinda like the beginning of the opening riff of this song.
The vocal effects on this album are some of the most tastefully done vocal effects on any release in 1985.
“Black as night he begins his flight
Wings outstretched in the cold
Glowing eyes, he wears no disguise
His evil is yet to be told…”
PLEASURES OF THE FLESH
DERANGED:
“Life’s kinda gettin’ outta control, I think,
I don’t know if you agree, would you hand me that ashtray?
Y’know, it’s like…what it is, I know you’ve heard the word a thousand times
It’s a rat race, y’know?
I went through the contortions of hell
I have alcoholic seizures
Wind up in the hospital and everything else…
Now I’m sick and I’m shakin’ like a leaf
It was like silly putty and they threw him in the car…in the paddy wagon and beat him to death.
I hit one of those and I knocked the front wheel off into outer space
And I kinda got angry myself and I said…
Hahaha, have a lotta guts.
I like salad, I just ate a nice salad
Baked potato, some cream cheese, and chives,
Y’know, I just…I like to eat a salad
Why do you have something in mind?”
And now, a message from Tom Skid, and perhaps one of the best intros in all of thrash (with the only exception being the intro to “The Last Act of Defiance”). Definitely a step forward from the prior album. To be fair, some of that is based on personal experience, too, having heard mostly Zetro era Exodus before really getting to listen to BBB.
You’ve got to love the drum triggers that every producer used back in the 80’s. That riff is so fucking badass!
Up…and down.
“They can’t keep me locked away
My psychiatrist says I’m okay
They think that they’ve got me trained
But I know I’m really deranged…”
‘TIL DEATH DO US PART:
“Drum solo, take 1…” (j/k)
If it sounds like there’s hints of Testament then it makes perfect sense, especially considering that Steve Souza, prior to joining Exodus, was the front man for Legacy, the band that would ultimately become Testament (the vocals even have a Chuck Billy sort of cadence …insert irony here).
It’s like a weird Frankenstein of BBB meets The Legacy (by Testament). The riff game is certainly taken up a few notches here, thanks to the twin guitar assault of The H-Team: Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt.
“There’s some that say we won’t last
Say that we could never beat the odds
But we just look at them and laugh
As the pressure surges through our heads so strong…”
PARASITE:
(A chorus of flies…)
Now THAT’s a thrash riff!
Solid late 80’s thrash…this is their first new album with their first new replacement vocalist…and their first new weird edit job after the chorus. Then again, this was long before Pro-Tools and editing software were even a thing; back when you used to literally have to cut tape and “tape” the tape together to make edits. Maybe there were relaxers involved, who knows? The world is an imperfect place.
It was all about the riffs back in the day. And riffs with harmonies were nothing short of exquisitely delicious riff gravy.
“Run-But you can’t hide
Blood-coming from inside
My mind-doesn’t know wrong from right
Parasite!
BRAIN DEAD:
Boy, that snare drum is gated as fuck!
Zetro almost has that next level of darkness & savagery in the lyrical delivery department. Like a more refined & balanced Baloff perhaps…
You’ve gotta love the gang vocals. The sound of Exodus’ gang vocals are like the sound of old AC/DC gang vocals with steroids, a gym membership, and endless rage.
“The darkness lives forever
Within your mind
No dreams, no thoughts it’s only
Endless time…”
FASTER THAN YOU’LL EVER LIVE TO BE:
Up tempo goodness. The riff definitely has a brutally anxious urgency to it.
Still, some of the best riff writing in all of thrash. Generally, if you were a 2-guitar band where both guitarists could solo and play lead guitar, you could get away with much more proggy-ness, longer songs, and more solo breaks.
“You run but you’re too slow
You’re all out of breath and there’s nowhere to go
Now when it’s your time to die
No one will hear your cry!”
PLEASURES OF THE FLESH:
Ahhh, nothing like cannibalism to really get people’s attention. Not sure if any of the others of The Big Five had covered cannibalism in any of their songs before this point, but Exodus sure as fuck did. (NOTE: the one exception perhaps being Slayer’s “Piece By Piece”)
A very tribal beginning…totally fitting for a family of cannibals ready to sit down to Sunday dinner where YOU are the main course! Hell, they might even put an apple in your mouth just to be festive.
Killer dual guitar solo…harmony solos are just guitar porn for musicians (and some bass players even). It’s almost like they add more riffs simply to justify adding more guitar solos. And there’s nothing wrong with that (unless you’re a bass player for The Cure).
“Feel the power
Of your unholy death
Feeding-frenzy
Human-flesh
To live…”
30 SECONDS (Instrumental)
One of the qualities of any well-respected 80’s thrash band was the ability to play amazing acoustic guitar melodies.
Very tastefully done. Definitely more tasteful than the tasteless nonsense we spewed over the last 10 seconds or so of the 40 second song called “30 Seconds” (which, btw, I feel like it was hallucinated somewhere that this piece is full of 32nd notes, hence the title, but that could have just been our inner guitar nerd intuition talking).
SEEDS OF HATE:
There’s a moment where the mix and the riff sounds exactly like “Scrum” from the mighty Slayer.
There’s also some Rob Halford/Judas Priest vibes going on here.
This has more the feel of the first album (BBB: i.e. the album just before this one). Nice double bass action after the guitar solo. And then the close out harmony solo. Exodus are like the Iron Maiden of thrash…but way eviler.
“Helpless civilians they hope for solutions
To problems that have to be solved
Now’s the time for action, no time for retraction
Now you will stand
Or you will fall!”
CHEMI-KILL:
Those clean guitars almost have a bizarre, futuristic western vibe…kinda like The Lawman facing off with Big Pharma in front of the saloon at high noon, fully preprared to gun them down for the unforgivable sins of extreme, insatiable greed and using people as unwitting lab rats to receive their unproven poison without prior consent.
Certainly a busy riff with a lot of swagger. And as if it weren’t obvious enough, this song is all about the evils of the pharmaceutical industry a.k.a. Big Pharma, a.k.a. The Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex, etc.
You know? That industry that’ll launch a new “medication” each week and then have a 30 second commercial where 20 of those seconds covers all of the various “side effects” you might experience with said “medication” (like projectile diarrhea through a screen door at 50 yards).
Definitely remember hearing this on WREK back in the day.
Any metal head in the tri-county Metro-Atlanta area knows this…
BTW, this song is lyrically still VERY applicable today. Big Pharma keeps trying to replace the medicinal genius and perfection of nature all in the name of being profiteering, unholy greedwhores.
“They just want to make another buck
They couldn’t care what happens, they wouldn’t give a fuck
Their big house way up on a hill
Was paid for in death
It’s chemi-kill…”
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON:
Back to thrash tastiness. Another anxious, urgent sounding riff. Strangely, there’s aspects of the riffs that are more heavy and maybe less thrash, but it still sounds like classic Exodus.
“Always running into danger
Taking the lion by the throat
Obeying no law but our own
Violence is what we promote!”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “Oh wait, we’re rolling!” / #airdrythewang after a #coldshower #thekraken / #Noyist / “I wanna see all the #deadlyanimals” #chamberofcommerce / #thesheilas ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / #gummified / “My bathroom is #hauntedagain” (It’s #ghoststorytime) #paranormalASMR #hauntedtoilet #markallthosetimes / #orbs /
Schofferhofer
BEER OF THE EPISODE
#thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode #Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen 2.5 / #mixedmessages (“More alcoholic goodness? Or less?”) / “The bag of syrup is almost out?” / “Usually…” / “I don’t know how to feel about it…” / “That’s what I’m gonna call my balls from now on…” / “I never got the whole #sparklingwatertrend man…” / “It’s missing the bag of syrup.” / #waterflavorizer / “Unsweet tea?” / *** IF YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL YOU CAN GIVE US A CALL AT 980-666-8182*** / #voicemailsegment #thetripsix #gday #metalconspiracyASMR #jameshetfieldvocalASMR (“What two bands would you like merged together?”) #Beatallica SGT. HETFIELD’S MOTORBREATH PUB BAND / GARAGE DAYS NIGHT / #TheBurningQuestion #metalmashups / #RockSugar DON’T STOP THE SANDMAN #softintro (“We’ll get through it…”) / #waitforit #JourneyMetallicaMashupASMR #StevePerryASMR #yeah / “This is terrible…” / “That’s all he does is say ‘yeah’!” / #No / ***WE GOT A #FACEBOOKRECOMMENDATION FOR #METALNERDERYPODCAST!!!*** #ThankYouForThat / #happybelated (an #email from The Darius: you can email us at metalnerdery@gmail.com if you’ve got questions, inquiries, or feedbacks) / “Does it let you slip through the spiritual atmosphere a little easier?” #astralglide / #Evile REAP WHAT YOU SOW (“Riff wise, it’s almost like a modern sounding combination of Slayer & Metallica…”) / “Fuck, I forgot to do #thejingle” / WE’LL PLAY YOUR SHIT-TAH!!!
(22:22): “We went and sat through 2 and a half hours of #TheCure” / “That’s a box set!” / #offmicburp / “If you’d like to be sad…” / “No!” / “So, it wasn’t a show…” / #RussellsRecommendations #movieedition #basedonatruestory / Creepy, RI & Haunted, HI / “Cockfeelers?” (“I bet there is.”)
(27:20): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PRESENTS: THE FIRST TWO FIRST NEW ALBUMS WITH THE FIRST TWO FRONTMEN OF EXODUS: ALBUM DIVE DOUBLE-HEADER!!! BONDED BY BLOOD & PLEASURES OF THE FLESH / #doubledive / “They released their first album the latest of #thebigfour / “I do remember they used to play this on #WREKage” / “You cannot unhear that.” / #1985echo / “Aren’t they all kinda ugly?” / #theshirts (“I don’t know if their tits are out or not…”) / BONDED BY BLOOD #tittlee #killeropener #timemachine #backto1985 #allthecokelines (“Sounds a little like Four Horsemen…”) / “It’s their #ExciterMoment” / EXODUS (“It’s kinda tragic that it didn’t come out sooner…”) / “But then, he’s Ozzy…” / Reflecting on #heavymetalculture and the various #thrashbandscenes across the country, including our own personal experiences
(37:26): AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (“That echo is so weird…”) / “Wow, I did not know that…” / “They didn’t do anything in the 90’s…” / “No…” / #mouthfarts / A LESSON IN VIOLENCE (“This might be one of the fastest ones yet…”) / “If this came out in ’83, I believe #TheBigFour would be shaped very differently…” / #killercloser #sideuno METAL COMMAND / “It sounds like 1985…” / #backingvocals #dontdenythepowerof
(46:16): #killeropener #sidedos PIRANHA (“That’s a cool riff…”) / “That was an #eviler sounding laugh…” / #diarrheareflectionsASMR #facingyourfears / NO LOVE (#softintro) / “Sounds like love to me…” / They were what a lot of people would call #mavericks / “It was raw…” / DELIVER US TO EVIL (“No bro, one song. That’s it.”) / #RussellsClarifications #JohnTravoltaImpression and #AndrewDiceClay / “The ‘away’ part is pretty important…” / STRIKE OF THE BEAST / #killercloser / Words, stuff, things, and whatnots…
(56:58): One of my favorite moments in all of metal! #killeropener
2nd Exodus album, 2nd Exodus Singer, first new album with the first new singer (Pleasures of the Flesh: 1987): The transition from Paul Baloff to Steve “Zetro” Souza / “Have you ever wondered what we taste like?” / “He had a pretty good marblin’ to him…we raised that boy #wagyu” / DERANGED (#bestintroever) #killeropener #killerriff / It’s as big a jump as Kill ‘em All to Ride the Lightning / ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART (“Sounds a little #TestamentIsh” / #seealsoLegacy / PARASITE (“That sounds like a blend…”) / “Was that an edit? Or is that how it is?”
(1:05:50): BRAIN DEAD (#allthecokelines #yeahyeah) / “It’s very them…” / FASTER THAN YOU’LL EVER LIVE TO BE #killercloser #sideone / “The riffs have definitely stepped up…” / #uglychords / PLEASURES OF THE FLESH (“What ‘they’ said…#bumblebeetuna”) / #guitarharmonies (the riff is reminiscent of Deathamphetamine) / 30 SECONDS (“When your butthole had more power…”) #shudderspeed #LMAOASMR #wrongpipeASMR / SEEDS OF HATE (That almost sounded a little like “Scrum” from Slayer…interesting) / Rob Halford vibes / CHEMI-KILL (#flahns) “I don’t remember that riff being that busy…” / “Gotta be careful with that one, though…” / CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON #killercloser (“Is that 4/4?”) / “Even for a bass player…” / “He was an ally…” / “Remember all the horror shows with #piranhas in them?” / “It’s like hangin’ your dangle off the boat…” / “I can’t say that anymore…” / “Diven?” / #untilthenext #thelastword #ghostofthebunkerpoon #No ***Stop by #MetalNerderyPodcast #BunkerpoonOutfitters located next to the #BunkerpoonGiftShoppe at metalnerdery.com/merch *** #outroreel #goodone (“A huge what?”)