It’s been seven long years since ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ came out, & I’m trying to decide to say “it was worth the wait” or that “it didn’t come soon enough” since both are equally valid, but things being what they are, I’m just grateful to have an excellent album to listen to. The line-up hasn’t change since back then either, but age certainly hasn’t mellowed them & this album probably angrier than anything they have released before, & it certainly sounds more polished too.
Sure, there is all the personal turmoil that I could go into that has needed to be dealt with by the band over the last year & a half, but I think you can go read that up on your own, & I’ll just say that is has made them all come back stronger & more motivated to kick our asses with what they are giving us here.
The album opens with the title track “Persona Non Grata” & a single Tom Hunting snare hit, followed by Gary Holt & Lee Altus ripping through the main riff for the song, before Tom drops in again w/ a flurry of fills as Jack Gibson’s bass puts in all the bottom end required for Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza to actually throw in some near growls along with is easily discernible snarling vocals. As it’s a rather lengthy song, it slows down perceptibly to allow for the lead break to flourish before blasting back into full speed, then tapering off to end with the same fury it off started with.
“R.E.M.F” gallops into the fray at full tilt while those the song is about would most likely just be sitting back watching the carnage unfold, even though you’d prefer if the shredding leads could be used to flay them.
A slow build-up of the drums takes into “Slipping Into Madness” where Zetro speeds through the verses before the chanted chorus comes in at half time to make the verses feel even more manic, which the frantically played leads lend themselves to too.
With a more mid-paced gallop to the drums & guitars, Jack’s popping bass line on “Elitist” emphasis each note in a way that doesn’t happen when he’s having to play at breakneck speed, & even the leads have a far more bluesy air about them.
Slow & gloomy music with a solid chugging guitar riff gives “Prescribing Horror” the perfect groove to make it feel even more sinister, which exactly what the topic of the song requires. They also show that slowing things down to make things twice as heavy is not a bad thing at all.
My week feels like “The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)” was written with me in mind, but that’s just the title, the deeper subject matter is another thing entirely & it uses the trademark Exodus speed to easily double the pace & hit you like a lead baton.
Slowing a bit, actually anything is slow compared to the previous track, “The Years Of Death And Dying” follows a heavy groove with a steady tempo which the bass accentuates with a deep rumble, while the leads and tremoloing guitars come in at a higher pitch, which the vocals pitch themselves between.
I also think alternating between faster & slower tracks exaggerates the speed differences rather well & “Clickbait” & having Gary & Lee’s lead trade-offs happen as quickly as they do also show how comfortable they are playing off each other as it appears completely effortless & in sync.
“Cosa Del Pantano” is a short acoustic number that has a bluesy, swampy feel to it that reminds of the intro to “Cajun Hell”. & the worst part for me, is that I wrote that sentence before deciding to throw the title in a translator…. D’oh! But at the same time it does justify exactly what I was hearing.
Following straight on & actually having an acoustic intro is “Lunatic-Liar-Lord”, where the distortion pedals are stepped on & the same riff is forever transformed from light & airy to face ripping with the drums peeling it all the way back before slowing things down to give let the guitars get really heavy as the vocals go from clean to a growl, then having the leads soar as they battle each other for supremacy following each other as they spiral & intertwine.
The constant thump of the kick drum on “The Fires Of Division” is accompanied by the bass, while the guitars flitter from high-speed riffing to lead breaks then back again, while the combination of clean & harsh vocals work really well when combined to emphasise the chorus.
The final track “Antiseed” is pure Exodus speed & Tom is on good form as he trashes about his kit having the guitars racing along to keep up & still complete each riff as is to be expected by Gary & Lee.
I thoroughly enjoyed this album & must admit that I’m currently a little bummed by the fact I must go listen to something else now, as I need to review that too. But I’ll definitely be readying a copy for the car to be listened to for enjoyment while not at a desk.
(9/10 Marco Gaminara)
Leave a Reply