«Bonded by Blood» is Exodus’ first album. It was finished in the summer of 1984 but came out in 1985 because of problems with the label. It is the band’s only complete work with Paul Baloff on vocals. The line-up is Baloff, Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt on guitars, Rob McKillop on bass and Tom Hunting on drums.
“`Country: USA
Style: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer
The album has a raw, dirty sound, with riffs that run fast and sudden tempo changes. Baloff’s vocals are aggressive and almost shouted, giving the tracks a character that resembles nothing else of the era. The production is bare, without gloss. Exodus belong to the San Francisco Bay Area scene and their sound is rawer than that of the other bands of the area. Hunting gives the drums a fast, steady beat that keeps the intensity through the whole record.
The title track «Bonded by Blood» opens the album, and beside it stand «Strike of the Beast», «A Lesson in Violence» and «Piranha». «Exodus» also stands out, a track that became a fixture of their live shows. «And Then There Were None» and «Deliver Us to Evil» give the album an even darker tone. The cover, with the two joined babies, caused reactions because of the nudity and the demonic image.
«Bonded by Blood» is regarded as one of the most influential records of thrash and of the Bay Area scene — it belongs with the albums that laid the foundations of the genre. Before moving to Metallica, Kirk Hammett had played in Exodus and had worked on part of their material. In 2008 the band re-recorded the album with a new line-up and released it as «Let There Be Blood». It is one of the records that defined the sound of the area.
See also
Exodus – Goliath | Metal Territory and Slayer – Reign In Blood | Metal Territory.
