REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: March 24, 2022

EXODUS – Persona Non Grata

I have been a huge fan of Exodus right from the off, from the amazing Bonded By Blood with Paul Baloff on vocals (which is one of the best original thrash albums), through to the four albums after that with Zetro on vocals. After that, they seemed to lose their way with lots of internal conflicts, member changes, and record company issues. The band had the knack of writing killer riffs but playing them with a groove that just made you want to move.

This is the second album in succession to have Zetro back on vocals, and it’s one hell of a heavy record. Lee Altus (ex of Heathen and Die Krups) is on guitar alongside Gary Holt. The tracks that do it for me on this release are the ones with the riffs and the groove, and the best example of that is The Beatings Will Continue Until Moral Improves, which is a delightful journey back to old school thrash romp. The guitar playing of both Holt and Altus is top drawer. Clickbait is insane and the speed is off the charts. My favourite on the album is Lunatic Liar Lord, which starts with an acoustic intro before the main riff and groove kick in – I love how the tempo slows and the breakdown is really cool.

It’s nice to know that Exodus are still up and grooving and they hopefully have found a bit of stability.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK N BLUE – In Heat

It easy to see how Tommy Thayer ended up in Kiss. Mr. Simmons had his finger in the Black N Blue pie producing this and Nasty Nasty.

This was the last of the eighties releases as the band broke up in ’89, which is really astounding as this album is a really good rockin’ record – I guess the record label just gave up on them. No groundbreaking left turn experimental tracks here, it’s all by the book simple melodic rockers that do what they are supposed to. This is what I call a Friday night record that gets you in the mood before heading out.

Heat It Up Burn It Out is a killer tune with a great hook and chorus. The Snake (which closes out Side 1) has that big stomp beat with a great riff and sing-a-long chorus. Give Rise To The Rise and Great Guns Of Fire are both also great tunes. This album has Simmons written all over it though, and nearly all of these songs could have been on any Kiss album after Lick It Up. It’s a fun album with a great huge production.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.