Review by Felix on November 21, 2021.

Some musicians say that it is more difficult to write a simple rocker than to pen a complex number. I don't know whether they are right. Yet it cannot be denied that Exodus would have been well advised to tackle less excessive song structures than those that characterise the overall picture of the second part of their exhibition. I admit that it would be too imprecise to say that the band is running out of ideas. The album is based on a certain number of gripping songs, but a lot of pieces lack of compactness and concision. The tunes offer many playgrounds for Holt and Altus to celebrate their skills and they do it without showing any signs of tiredness. Nevertheless, the total result does not make my heart beat faster. Under such circumstances, it is an ironic twist of fate that exactly one of the slowest pieces increases my heart rate.

'Nanking' - the name of the Chinese city is one of the synonyms for the horrors of the world wide crimes against humanity during the middle of the last century. Historians tell us that 200.000 civilians and prisoners of war were killed by the Japanese invaders. Only a German merchant, John Rabe, offered a place of refuge for a few hundred civilians. Today a monument in Nanking remembers his name and it seems that he was a good Nazi. Yes, the combination of these two words may sound strange, but I also know some people that speak of strong Avantasia albums. This is totally unbelievable as well. Anyway, Exodus capture the atmosphere of absolute atrocity in an excellent manner and Dukes delivers his best vocal performance ever. His voice reflects desperation, bewilderment and scorn in a terrific manner. A filigree guitar line meets devastating riffs, the slow drums underline the hopeless situation of the victims and the song constantly grows: the stomping verses lead to the dramatic bridge and the brilliant chorus mirrors the bestiality of the occupiers. A shiver runs down my spine whenever I listen to this metallic history lesson.

However, it goes without saying that Exodus have penned some fast-paced bullets as well. Especially the first half of the album is equipped with rapidly beating drums that accompany fascinating riffs. Built on this fundament, outbursts of hate like the opener or 'Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)' demonstrate the power of the formation that seemingly doesn't intend to retire. These explosive numbers are meticulously constructed, no doubt about it. Yet they are a little bit too long. Monumental patterns and straight thrash metal are not the closest friends and excessive instrumental parts do not always increase the degree of intensity. But don't get me wrong, the agility and the drive of Holt's violent clique achieve a formidable level. Even slightly less rabid pieces like 'Downfall' hit the bull's eye. Too bad that the co-founders of thrash have passed their zenith after the seventh track, the aforementioned 'Nanking'. Perhaps they would haven been well advised to concentrate on the creation of an album with a playtime of 40 minutes instead of striving for the construction of an acoustic monster.

The further pieces commute between comparatively exciting and fairly boring. Some gruesome moments are also included. The bridge of 'Democide', for instance, suffers from one of the weakest vocal lines in the history of Exodus. Yet quite apart from the details, these songs are somewhat exhausting. Some good riffs meet partially excessive song structures and get lost in these patterns. No, the tunes don't suffer from labyrinthine configurations. Nevertheless, a clear leitmotif is not identifiable. Accordingly, the transparent and very harsh production of Exhibit B is the most outstanding characteristic of these pieces. Yet surprisingly, this doesn't apply for the final track. 'Devil's Teeth' is no hidden diamond, but it brings the overlong album to a good conclusion.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10