A year after Exodus's triumphant return, all was not well in the Exodus camp. Guitarist Rick Hunolt, vocalist Steve Souza and drumming Tom Hunting all left the band for one reason or another. This left guitarist Gary Holt and bass player Jack Gibson as the only surviving members of the reformed line-up. Holt though wasted no time and quickly recruited Paul Bostoph on drums, Lee Altus on guitars (who played with Heathen once upon a time in the San Francisco) and vocalist Rob Duke.

The resulting album released just a year after the superb Tempo Of The Damned was called Shovel Headed Kill Machine. The album continued on the path started by Tempo Of The Damned and if anything was even heavier. However, I have a few problems with Shovel Headed.... Vocalist Rob Dukes is no Steve Souza. He's alright; at times sounding like a more modern version of Simon Forrest from kvlt UK thrashers Cerebral Fix but his more modern style is a little off and not something I liked too much. The lead guitars right through the album don't have the same power of previous albums. I guess the 20 plus years of chemistry between Holt and Hunolt is almost impossible to replace and while Lee Altus is a more than capable guitarist in his own right, I can't help but compare and he comes up short. Finally, Paul Bostoph. I've always felt he was a bit overrated and especially after Hunting's superb performance on Tempo Of The Damned, Bostoph is a little dull on this album.

Now that I've got all my peeves out of the way lets get to the album itself. The songs are not bad. They are heavy, well thought out and also well played. At the same time, Exodus were following up a superb album in Tempo Of The Damned and expectations were high. Shovel Headed Kill Machine is decent but simply can't come close to its predecessor. The underlying threat of violence and atmosphere of tension that was an integral part of the classic Exodus albums and also on the comeback is just not present on Shovel Headed... Like I said earlier, the songs are all competently played but it could be any heavy thrash band playing these songs. The Exodus stamp is missing from the album.

Still, Shudder To Think and I Am Abomination are pretty good songs with some kickass riffs while Deathamphetamine is probably the best song on the album. At the same time, there isn't a single song on this album that compares favorably to War Is My Shepherd or Scar Spangled Banner.

Again, I have to re-iterate that Shovel Headed Kill Machine is not a bad album. It just doesn't match up to the reputation of this band and when slotted next to Tempo Of The Damned sounds quite dull.

Year Of Release - 2005

Label - Nuclear Blast