Exodus should have had it all. One of the first thrash metal bands in the San Francisco Bay Area, they were blessed with a charismatic frontman (Paul Baloff) and a number of excellent songs. Their live performances were legendary, and they had a rabid fanbase. They were well on their way to superstardom, to being mentioned in the same breath as Metallica and Slayer.

However, Exodus always seemed to be getting the short end of the stick. They were able to bounce back from co-founder Kirk Hammet leaving to join Metallica, but their debut album Bonded by Blood was delayed for quite some time. It's still considered a classic, but the impact was definitely lessened than if it had been released in a timely manner. Then, Baloff left in 1986. Steve Souza was an ample replacement, but for a lot of fans, Paul Baloff was the only Exodus vocalist who mattered.

The band released some fine albums, but they were always consigned to "second-tier" status, along with Testament and Overkill. They finally got a major label deal in 1990, but the resulting album, Impact is Imminent failed to light the music world on fire. Then Metallica released their self-titled album, and the bottom fell out of thrash metal. Almost all the prominent thrash bands moved in a more commercial direction, with less than satisfactory results. Force of Habit was the final Exodus album, and it was an enormous disappointment. The band broke up, and it seemed they were gone for good.

Then in 1997, the band reunited with Baloff and went on tour. There were rumblings that a new album was on the way, but the Baloff's untimely death seemed to but the kibosh on those rumors. A lot of fans, myself included had given up on ever seeing another Exodus album.

However, Exodus was not dead yet. They reunited with Steve Souza and began working on new material. And now, 12 years after Force of Habit, the band has come up with a new album entitled Tempo of the Damned. And if you were worried that the band had lost their touch, that they just weren't capable of making a good album, you can rest easy. Tempo of the Damned is excellent. Quite frankly, this is the album the band should have released after Fabulous Disaster. This is the kind of straight-up, no-frills thrash metal Exodus is known for, and they sound just as good as they ever did. They could give bands half their age a run for the money.

The band starts things off with couple of fast songs, entitled "The Scar Spangled Banner" and "War is my Shepherd." As you might expect, they're anti-war songs, but even the most fervent supporter George W. Bush will be unable to deny the awesome headbanging power of these songs. The band slows it down a bit for "Blacklist," a mid-tempo song similar to their classic "Toxic Waltz." There's seven other songs on the album, mostly of high quality. My personal favorites would have to be "Sealed with a Fist" and "Culling the Herd." The band's older fans will be happy to know that they re-recorded their classic track "Impaler," which has never actually been recorded in a proper studio version. The only outright dud is "Throwing Down," in which the band tries to sound like Pantera and doesn't do it very well. On the limited edition of this album, there's a cover of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." It's a decent rendition, although considering the band already covered it on their live album Good Friendly Violent Fun, it's not exactly vital. Still, these are minor quibbles. Tempo of the Damned is a great addition to the band's catalog.

I was skeptical that Exodus would be able to recapture the magic of their early days, but I was wrong. I hope each member of Metallica hears a copy and I hope they take notes, because Tempo of the Damned makes St. Anger look like an even bigger joke than it already is. I'm under no illusions that Exodus is going to be hitting the Billboard charts, but this is a great comeback album that completely makes up for the disappointment that was Force of Habit. I hope they're not breaking up again anytime soon, because we could definitely use a few more albums like this one.