When this album was first released, two things really struck me about it : one was the completely ridiculous album artwork (the evil/good infant siamese twins on a baby blue background), and the other was what an excellent thrash album this really was. Well, it's 14 years later, and I'm happy to say this album stood the test of time rather well - and hell, even the original artwork seems great compared to the bland cover they decided to use for the re-issue. Exodus was of course the band that Kirk Hammet abandoned when rock stardom beckoned him to join the ranks of Metallica (who back then were actually worth something, unlike today), and I'm sure you'll spot a few riffs here and there on "Bonded By Blood" that were later recycled by Metallica themselves (not that Metallica was the only band to ever rehash Exodus material : New York "hardcore" superstars Agnostic Front ripped off the Exodus song "A Lesson In Violence" note for note on their track, "The Eliminator"). "Bonded By Blood" is a classic of early eighties thrash, and was (in my opinion) the best thing the band ever produced - thrashing mad rhythms, metallic crunching guitar tones, pounding bass and drums and memorable melodies - it's ALL here...but lets not kid ourselves, a lot of why this album was so fucking great has to do with vocalist Paul Baloff and his completely OTT style. Sure, his vocals could take some time to get used to, but once your giggling subsided over his somewhat spastic performance, you begin to appreciate his unique sound. Paul left (err...or was "booted" depending on who tells the story) before Exodus ever recorded their second LP, and although his replacement (Zetro Sousa from Legacy, later to become Testament) was passable, without Baloff, Exodus just became another run of the mill thrash band, and I (as a result) lost all interest. 2 live bonus tracks are also included on the CD reissue (unfortunately, not with Baloff at the microphone), so that sort of offsets the loss of the original artwork in some small way. Highly recommended for those wanting to see what GOOD thrash was like (see how quickly you throw away those useless Anthrax and Overkill CDs after hearing this)...

© 1999 chorazaim