Review by Felix on November 21, 2021.

Exodus started their long awaited comeback with an album whose production did not flirt with the sound of the eighties. In terms of its mix, Tempo Of The Damned emerged as a full-length that stood with both feet in the present. The vehemence of the technical implementation worked as an indicator for the musical direction. Forget the lukewarm / shitty / experimental / commercial / overlong / boring (please make your selection) Force Of Habit that caused the implosion of the band in 1992. Tempo Of The Damned, recorded with four fifths of the Fabulous Disaster line-up, brought back the ugly ferocity of Exodus and played its part on the threshold of the new age of thrash.

Admittedly, after the long period of silence, it boggled the mind that Exodus had not been able to design a full-length without fillers. Gary Holt and his crew were clever enough to kick off the output with some effective and varying pieces, but we were clever as well and therefore we realized that they had put a small number of mediocre pieces in the middle of the album. Especially the overlong 'Culling The Herd' and the primitively stomping 'Sealed With A Fist' didn't offer amazing twists and turns or anything else that could be praised for its extraordinary charm. Anyway, it is surely small-minded to take offence at (more or less) minor details and I don't want to cry just because of two predictable pieces. The principal thing was that Exodus were back and they presented a couple of formidable pieces. Except for US-American patriots, everybody received the provocative opener 'Scar Spangled Banner' with open arms and open ears, because its introducing riff demonstrated the regained power of Exodus immediately. However, the best was yet to come.

Holt had penned some really exciting songs that shined with brilliant choruses, compelling riffs and a lot of pressure. 'War Is My Shepherd' killed with vile leads and its concise bridge resulted in a heavyweight chorus. The viciously creeping 'Blacklist' offered a vindictive chorus and the drilling guitars showed no signs of mercy as well. By the way, inter alia this song revealed the skill of Zetro to implement opportune vocal lines. Moreover, his performance was a forming element of the album. Seemingly filled to the brim with bad feelings, he covered the whole range: from hate to aggression, from scorn to desperation. The last element characterised my personal highlight, the titanic 'Forward March'. In alignment with the lyrical content, Zetro's screaming showed desperate and combative elements. Apart from his contribution, each single part of the multilayered track was enthrallingly designed and the chorus with its gloomy guitars was the cherry on the cake.

The band also served a special titbit: 'Impaler', a previously unreleased song of their early days. Its sawing riff at the beginning whispered "Do you remember Bonded By Blood?" and the entire title, co-written by Kirk Hammett and Tom Hunting, emitted a touch of the pioneering years of thrash metal. Although the following title track lived up to its name, it was far away from creating a comparable degree of magic. Nevertheless, a good track and a strong ending of the album, if we ignore the banally performed AC/DC cover version. Don't mess with the Young brothers, that's all I can say in this context. (And the same applies for 'Overdose' which was released on Fabulous Disaster, because it just shows that Bon Scott's charisma remains untouched.) Anyway, despite its minor weaknesses, Tempo Of The Damned sent important signals and marked a milestone for the revival of thrash metal.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Krys on March 3, 2004.

Who would have thought that Exodus would try again? After their first unsuccessful reunion that resulted in the live "Another Lesson in Violence" I never thought I would review a new full-length album from them, but here it is. February 2nd of 2004, on the two-year anniversary date of Paul Baloff's death, Exodus comes back with an album that not only puts them back on the map of thrash metal but places them on top of the genre.

Revitalized, renewed and sobered up, Exodus returns with "Tempo of the Damned" that not only will satisfy every fan of this genre but will also show thousands of bands how metal was meant to be played in the first place. What I mean by that is nothing short of phenomenal guitar work. Sharp as razor, venomous riffs are accompanied by something that's lost in today's scene: solos. And not just any solos, from absolutely insane, blazing ones to dual, mesmerizing harmonics Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt deliver quality almost unheard of in today's market. Top it with the most complete and possessed performance of Steve Souza (who lyrically doesn't shy to spit on anyone and anything in this world) and a sledge hammer solid rhythm section, all iced by Andy Sneap's clear production and you'll end up with one of the most complete thrash albums in the last decade. "Tempo of the Damned" might not appeal to the young crowd of today's death/black scene but anyone with a taste for an intense 55 minutes of excellent musicianship and musical passion will find this album worth every bit of its early buzz.

Is this Exodus' best album? Probably not, but asking them to beat "Bonded by Blood" is like expecting Slayer to beat "Reign in Blood". While technically such a feat is quite possible, those albums were genre-setting, boundary-breaking releases and from that standpoint nothing will ever replace them. "Tempo of the Damned" is not one of them; it is a glorious return of godfathers of thrash in the form of their lives.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 6
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10