Kingcrimsonprog
Exodus : Exhibit B The Human Condition is a fantastic record and no mistake, I don't know exactly what I was expecting when I first got the album, but over the course of a few listens the quality of the album just seemed to grow and grow, with the level of musicianship higher than ever before, with Rob Duke's voice the best it has ever been and with every song just plain brilliant there isn't a bad word to be said for Exhibit B The Human Condition.
The first thing that strikes you about the album is the variety, twin guitar harmonies and almost clean vocals at times give way to classic 80's Garry Holt riffs, Guitars shift from squealing and shredding to melody and musicality, songs begin or end with acoustic passages but are otherwise the heaviest songs the band have ever written.
If ever you were unsure whether modern Exodus was for you, now is the time to be converted, this album has everything that is good about metal and then some. 'Downfall,' for example sounds like it was off Burn My Eyes during its mid section, off a Shadows Fall record during its twin guitar lead brakes and right off Fabulous Disaster during its main riff. It achieves all of these styles during its six and a half minute duration without ever sounding confused, cluttered or like it is trying too much.
This is not to say that Exhibit B isn't quintessentially Exodus as a good three quarters of the riffs on the album are so uniquely Garry Holt that they honestly wouldn't feel out of place on Bonded By Blood or Pleasures of the Flesh and therein is the greatest achievement of the album, or the band in general modernisation without betraying their roots. While keeping absolutely everything that makes Exodus sound like Exodus the band are able to keep the music unbelievably fresh.
Beyond any stylistic considerations or whether or not it sounds like Exodus or stays true to the Bay area sound or any concern the fans may have, the songs are simply awesome, a brilliant collection of top notch grade-A songs that get better with each listen and I state that completely free from hyperbole or release day excitement.
If you wonder whether or not Exhibit B is for you listen to the energetic 'March of the Sycophants,' the stunning mid tempo 'A Perpetual State Of Indifference,' or the creepy semi-epic 'Nanking,' and prepare to love the album, the band and the line up.
