Exhibit B: The Human Condition
| Exhibit B: The Human Condition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 7, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | December 2009[1] | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 74:24 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Andy Sneap | |||
| Exodus chronology | ||||
| ||||
Exhibit B: The Human Condition is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. The album picks up after The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A, continuing with long, epic songs (averaging around 6 minutes) with darker themes centered on war, death, society, politics and religion. It was released on May 7, 2010 in Europe and was released on May 18, 2010 in the United States. It debuted at number 114 on the Billboard 200.[2] Additionally, Exhibit B was Exodus' first studio album since 1989's Fabulous Disaster not to feature a lineup change from the preceding album. It sold around 4,600 copies in its first week of release in the U.S.[3] Exhibit B is Exodus' last album with vocalist Rob Dukes, who was fired in June 2014,[4] although he was still part of the band when the songwriting sessions for Blood In, Blood Out began.
Cover art
[edit]Guitarist Gary Holt commented on the bands intentions for the album's cover:
"We wanted to portray the violence of man at its finest, so we started with our own version of the Leonardo da Vinci sketch of Vitruvian Man, but done the 'EXODUS' way! I was pointed in the direction of Colin Larks of Rainsong Design for the cover and he killed it! To me, the artwork represents man and his affinity for bloodshed, ignorance, and all-around ability to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The image fits the songs on this record perfectly. The whole layout is going to be as sick as the record itself!"[1][dead link]
Lyrical themes
[edit]The album displays a variety of lyrical themes, but is almost entirely focused on dark and depressing topics.[original research?] Government is a recurring theme with "Downfall" describing the fall of major world governments through war and recession,[5] and "March of the Sycophants" describing the hypocrisy of Christian conservatives.[6] Some songs focus on tragic events such as the Nanking Massacre in "Nanking"[6] and the killings carried out by Leonard Lake and Charles Ng in "The Ballad of Leonard and Charles".[5]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [7] |
| AllMusic |  [8] |
| AltSounds | (90%)[9] |
| Guardian.co.uk | [10] |
| PopMatters |   [11] |
Exhibit B: The Human Condition received positive reviews. Greg Prato from Allmusic said: "You can always count on Exodus to supply some good, old-fashioned, downright vicious thrash metal with each release. And the lads deliver once more on their 2010 offering, Exhibit B: The Human Condition (impressively, their fourth album over a six-year period -- 2004-2010), further describing it by saying - with the intensity not dipping one iota from beginning to end, and - Even with the tunes that momentarily take a breather ('Democide,' 'A Perpetual State of Indifference,' etc.), it's only a matter of time until Exodus rams down the gas pedal once again and returns to their chug-a-lug riffery. Exodus has always liked it fast and furious, and they certainly don't disappoint with Exhibit B: The Human Condition."
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Gary Holt except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ballad of Leonard and Charles" | Lee Altus, Rob Dukes | 7:14 |
| 2. | "Beyond the Pale" | 7:40 | |
| 3. | "Hammer and Life" | 3:31 | |
| 4. | "Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)" | 7:15 | |
| 5. | "Downfall" | 6:22 | |
| 6. | "March of the Sycophants" | 6:45 | |
| 7. | "Nanking" | 7:22 | |
| 8. | "Burn, Hollywood, Burn" | 4:05 | |
| 9. | "Democide" | Altus, Dukes | 6:36 |
| 10. | "The Sun Is My Destroyer" | 9:33 | |
| 11. | "A Perpetual State of Indifference" (instrumental) | 2:25 | |
| 12. | "Good Riddance" | 5:33 | |
| 13. | "Devil's Teeth" (bonus track) | 4:13 | |
| Total length: | 78:31 | ||
Personnel
[edit]- Rob Dukes – vocals
- Gary Holt – guitars
- Lee Altus – guitars
- Jack Gibson – bass
- Tom Hunting – drums
Additional performers
[edit]- Brendon Small – guitar solo on "Devil's Teeth"
- Peter Tägtgren – backing vocals on "The Sun Is My Destroyer"
- Raymond Anthony – keyboards on "The Ballad of Leonard and Charles", Additional guitar engineering
Production
[edit]- Andy Sneap – producer/mixer
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] | 49 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] | 50 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] | 32 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[12] | 14 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 53 |
| US Billboard 200[16] | 114 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "New Album Artwork Revealed – Exodus's MySpace Blog". Blogs.myspace.com. February 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Release date: 7 May 2010". Metalstorm.ee. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "EXODUS: 'Exhibit B' First-Week Sales Revealed". BlabberMouth.
- ^ "EXODUS Parts Ways With Singer ROB DUKES". BlabberMouth.
- ^ a b "EXODUS Guitarist's 'Exhibit B' Track-By-Track Breakdown - Part 1". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "EXODUS Guitarist's 'Exhibit B' Track-By-Track Breakdown - Part 2". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "About.com review By Chad Bowar". Heavymetal.about.com. May 18, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ Prato, Greg (May 18, 2010). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "AltSounds review". Hangout.altsounds.com. March 6, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Guardian.co.uk review by Jamie Thomson". The Guardian. London. May 6, 2010.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ a b "Austriancharts.at – Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Exodus: Exhibit B : The Human Condition" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Exodus". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
