Exodus are undoubtedly one of the most important and influential bands in the history of thrash metal (and metal as a whole). None of their releases are held in higher esteem than Bonded By Blood, their first full-length album, which was released way back in 1985.



 



























It was their only release to include the powerfully unique vocals of Paul Baloff, a man whose contributions to metal cannot be understated. No one has ever quite managed to emulate Baloff's incredible ferocity on the album. Current vocalist Rob Dukes has given it a shot, however, as the San Francisco band have elected to re-record the entire Bonded By Blood album for a re-release later this year. Some are calling it a cash-in and speculating that it could damage the band's enduring legacy. The band are calling it a tribute to Baloff, who died tragically in 2002 following a stroke. I'm interested to hear how it sounds, but I know that nothing will match the original.

Here is what Gary Holt, lead guitarist and songwriter for Exodus, had to say:
"After many years in the planning and discussion stage, we have finally completed the re-recording of Bonded By Blood. We have decided to call it Let There Be Blood, and it is our way of paying homage to Paul Baloff, by showing how relevant these songs we had written together still are. We aren't trying to replace the original; that's impossible anyway. We are just giving these songs the benefit of modern production. It's something we talked about before Paul's death and it's always been important to us to do. We were super excited about entering the studio once again to record these classics, and now it's back to writing the next studio record!"