Written By Kevin McSweeney
First of all, Exodus are hardly unknown. They’re one of the most prominent bands of the golden era of thrash metal outside of the big four.
Bonded by Blood is a true classic of the genre, and they boast Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Slayer’s Gary Holt among their members, past and present, so I really don’t know what London-based heavy/thrash metal band Imperium are on about here.
I do know, however, that they’ve made a very good debut album, which was released on July 17th via Heavy Metal Records. If you’re going to release a strong metal debut album, release it via Heavy Metal Records. That’s what I say! Let’s pick it apart, shall we?
Exodus Unknown: Hell and High Water
Not to be confused with the similarly-titled song from Poison’s 1990 album Flesh and Blood – different song altogether! – this track begins with the opposite of a fade out, as it gradually emerges from nothing to assail us with a barrage of drums beneath a four-chord riff and wailing dissonant lead guitar, before settling into a classic riff straight out of the early 1980s Bay Area scene.
The verses are fast and thrashy and the chorus is melodic and anthemic. I love the little bit of Eddie Van Halen-style two-handed tapping that crops up occasionally!
We have a proper bit of shred for the solos and already it’s clear that this is a band seeking to operate in that sweet spot between traditional metal and thrash that Judas Priest occupied so majestically on Painkiller. The blueprint is thrash but with big hooks and bold, anthemic choruses straight out of classic rock and metal. I might add: they do it well.
Title Track: Exodus Unknown
I might have mentioned in previous articles that I love it when a song starts with a drum intro. Well, that’s exactly what we get at the outset of the title track, and while it might not be as flashy as the one that introduces the title track of the aforementioned Painkiller, it’s certainly effective.
This track is mostly a moderately fast thrasher along similar lines to Metallica’s Creeping Death. The eminently chantable chorus goes a little something like this:
Onto the next planet!
We destroyed the one we know.
Onto the next planet!
Exodus unknown!
So, is this an ecological message about the destruction of this planet necessitating the discovery of a new one that can sustain human life? (They assert later in the song that such a thing will be impossible.)
Are they channelling the Biblical migration of the Israelites from Egypt into Canaan as a metaphor for this? Are they channeling the spirit of The Osmonds with regard to their anti-pollution anthem Crazy Horses?
Are they in fact the musical wing of Just Stop Oil? So many questions! As well as the lead guitar shredding, we get a bass solo towards the end, during a section in which the rhythm turns into something of a polka, and I absolutely love it!
Exodus Unknown: Reap What You Sow
The heavy metal hertas with which they begin this track are going to be awesome in the live setting. You could definitely get a few James Hetfield-style heys and yeahs on the go, combined with some furious fist pumping.
They also throw in a few Slayer-style chromatic flourishes for good measure, which is most welcome. In fact, it sounds somewhat like a cut from a later Slayer album, like God Hates Us All, or even – whisper it! – Diabolus in Musica.
That said, the big, boomy, otherworldly vocals on the chorus echo Alice Cooper’s Feed My Frankenstein. OK, I could have gone with the demonic voices on Slayer’s Hell Awaits, but it seemed too obvious.
What wasn’t so obvious was their decision to make the solo a jazzy affair, complete with a subdued rhythm based on syncopated rimshots. I also didn’t expect the funky 16-beat rhythm that greets us later. The harmonised syncopated riff that comprises the coda is a joyful way to end a great track.
Exodus Unknown: Unstoppable
The chug is certainly unstoppable, though the pace has subsided slightly, and the aggression has been tempered somewhat.
Melody is seldom far from the surface on a track that is more polished and refined than any other thus far. It’s like something from Megadeth’s Countdown to Extinction, or Sound of White Noise by Anthrax in that regard, rather than their earlier, thrasher output.
There’s intricate, palm-muted riffing on display, and also some intricate drumming with ghost notes and deft ride cymbal work being in evidence.
It speeds up towards the end, reminding us that this is for the most part a thrash album. This coincides with a solo that bears the hallmark of Marty Friedman. One criticism: the track outstays its welcome slightly. At least thirty seconds could have been shaved off the runtime, and probably more like sixty.
Exodus Unknown: The Gun
Lighters out for this one! (Note to younger readers: getting lighters out at gigs was something that Gen X metal fans did for the more epic moments in a set.
That was back in the day before people had backlit phone screens or concerns about lung cancer.) The song starts slow and anthemic, though it doesn’t last long, as it develops into a 6/8 time stomper with a catchy chorus.
I’m not sure that some of the lyrics aren’t suspect, though I have no lyric sheet to confirm this. Still, the line “I am the trigger; you are the gun” has something of Steel Panther about it.
Some of the riffing takes me back to Countdown to Extinction. I’m thinking particularly of songs like This Was My Life or Ashes in Your Mouth.
I can’t argue with an actual gunshot preceding the solo. One thing I can argue is that, like its predecessor, it sticks around for longer than is strictly necessary.
Exodus Unknown: Hangman
If the last two tracks were reminiscent of the more refined, less intense sound honed by certain members of the big four on their early 90s albums, this one turns the clock back a decade to capture the youthful vigour of Metallica at the nascent stage of their career.
Actually, if it sounds like anyone, it’s probably Testament, not least because the vocal style is similar to that of Chuck Billy in his pomp.
I love the fact that there’s another bit of lead bass before the first of the guitar solos fully kicks in. It’s important to let everyone shine.
That aside, it’s old-school thrash by numbers, and I don’t mean that as a criticism. It’s fast, it’s furious and it doesn’t fuck around, which is exactly how good thrash should be.
Exodus Unknown: Tread The Serpent
I can’t help but be reminded by the title of Metallica’s Don’t Tread on Me. That is not to say that this track sounds like Black Album-era Metallica.
It features a guest appearance by Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, who stood in for Cronos as bassist and lead vocalist of Venom in the late 1980s and the 1990s.
Fittingly, it takes us back to that embryonic stage of extreme metal in which Venom were so influential, with NWOBHM riffs combined with the speed and ferocity of thrash.
The 6/8 time section is a try-not-to-headbang challenge in and of itself. Its ending is immense and intense, and it would have made a fine way to wrap up the album. Instead, they finished with the following song, and I’m not sure that was entirely wise.
Exodus Unknown: The End
You’ve got to love the literal nature of the title. The song called The End is the actual end of the album.
Consequently, they’ve concluded the thing in a melodic and subdued fashion that serves as something of an anticlimax.
This is not to be critical of the song itself. It’s a well-written and highly emotive piece of music.
Imagine, if you will, a cross between Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters and Iron Maiden’s Afraid to Shoot Strangers, except that, unlike both of those classics, it doesn’t get heavy at any stage.
This is very much the problem. Ending a heavy album with a delicate, pared-down “ballad” can work well, as it does with Timelessness on Fear Factory’s 1998 album Obsolete.
However, I can’t help thinking The End would have served better as a penultimate track – a kind of calm before the final storm – if the order of the last two tracks had been switched.
Don’t get that last criticism twisted, though. This is a strong and self-assured debut from a highly promising band.
Theirs might not be the most original sound, though it has its fair share of quirks and idiosyncrasies to keep you interested. It is a great take on a classic, however.
It’s not perfect by any means, but neither was Kill ‘Em All, and it took Slayer three attempts to create the greatest thrash album of all time. No pressure for your forthcoming releases, chaps!
Metal Lair awards Exodus Unknown by Imperium four out of five devil horns.
Tracklisting:
1. Hell and High Water
2. Exodus Unknown
3. Reap What You Sow
4. Unstoppable
5. The Gun
6. Hangman
7. Tread the Serpent
8. The End
Line-up:
Ben Porter – Vocals
Hardip Sagoo – Lead Guitar
James Hawes – Drums
Scott Lomas – Rhythm Guitar
Jean-Raphael Comes – Bass Guitar
IMPERIUM ONLINE
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Read More From This Author:
Remembering Lou Koller: The Voice of Sick Of It All (1967 to 2026)
EP Review: The Liminal Tapes by Mercers
Wailin’ Storms The Arsonist Review
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