Exodus: Exhibit B: The Human Condition – new album

The ninth studio album by thrash metal band EXODUS, ‘Exhibit B: The Human Condition’, will be released on May 7th, 2010 in Europe and May 18th, 2010 in USA, on Nuclear Blast Records. Album's artwork was created by Colin Larks (Rainsong Design) and is meant to represent the EXODUS' take on Leonardo da Vinci's “Vitruvian Man”. 

EXODUS was formed in 1980 in California by guitarist Gary Holt, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammet and drummer Tom Hunting. With Paul Baloff on lead vocals and Jeff Andrews on bass, the band self-recorded and self-produced the ‘1982 Demo’. With Hammet gone off to METALLICA, he was replaced by Rick Hunolt, with Rob McKillop joining in on bass; this lineup recorded and released EXODUS' debut album, 1985's ‘Bonded By Blood’. Though the album was somewhat overlooked at the time, (I personally remember it with tears of nostalgia in my eyes, heh) it is these daysconsidered to be one of the genre's most influential albums. ‘Bonded By Blood’ was re-mastered and re-issued by Century Media in 1999. Shortly after, Paul Baloff was replaced by Steve Souza (LEGACY, TESTAMENT) and with him in the vocal department, the group issued ‘Pleasures Of The Flesh’ in 1987 and ‘Fabulous Disaster’ in 1989. 1990's ‘Impact Is Imminent’ was the last EXODUS' album to feature Rob McKillop on bass, the first with John Tempesta on drums and the band's first to be released through Capitol Records. Live effort, ‘Good Friendly Violent Fun’, followed in 1991. Their fifth album, ‘Force Of Habit’, (1992) EXODUS slowed down a notch, went all experimental and even recorded an 11-minute magnum opus tribute to Marquis de Sade through ‘Architect Of Pain’. Another live album featuring the original vocalist Paul Baloff, ‘Another Lesson In Violence’ was issued 1997, The band took some time off and reunited in 2001. In 2002 the singer suffered a stroke of which he eventually and sadly died. EXODUS re-recruited singer Steve Souza and released ‘Tempo Of The Damned’ in 2004. In 2005, Lee Altus (HEATHEN) replaced guitarist Rick Hunholt and Paul Bostaph (SLAYER/TESTAMENT/FORBIDDEN) took over the drum kit as Rob Dukes stepped in for Steve Souza on vocals and as such, EXODUS recorded their seventh album,‘Shovel Headed Kill Machine’. With drummer Hunting returned to the band in 2007, ‘The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A’ was released that same year. A re-recording of the classic 1985's ‘Bonded By Blood’, featuring their modern lineup and entitled ‘Let There Be Blood’, was issued in 2008.

Follow-up: ‘Exhibit B: The Human Condition’ debuted at number 114 on American albums chart Billboard 200: with 4,600 copies sold in the USA in its first week of release, the album peaked at number 32 on German Albums Chart as well. The video for ‘Downfall’ was directed and produced by Jon Schnepp.

EXODUS: The Ballad Of Leonard And Charles – courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records