A rebirth of one of thrash metal's originators, 'Tempo of the Damned' is Exodus at their best. Vocalist Steve Souza is as strong as ever, and the production job of Andy Sneap is first rate. The definite old school Bay Area sound can be heard, and is mixed with some of the heavy-handedness of groups like Grave Digger and Rage. There's lots of low end to the music, with Souza's Bon-Scott-meets-Udo voice overtop it all. A raging thrash experience.
"War is My Shepard" has some cutting riffs, with "Blacklist" being a definite head-mover. "Culling the Herd" is a swaying treat, "Throwing Down" is chunky and steady, and all of "Scar Spangled Banner," "Shroud of Urine," "Forward March," and the title track are solid.
A bonus that showed up on a pre-release CD single is a cover of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," the AC/DC classic. The band rips through the song with some evil stutter chops and slide-grooving; here's hoping it eventually shows up as a bonus track on the regular release!

TRACK LIST: Scar Spangled Banner/War is My Shepard/Blacklist/Shroud of Urine/Forward March/Culling the Herd/Sealed With a Fist/Throwing Down/Impaler/ Tempo of the Damned