Pleasures of the Flesh

Pleasures of the Flesh is the second album on which Exodus, while maintaining thrash’s speed, made the riff combinations and song developments more complex and deft. Made after the departure of the original singer Paul Baloff, welcoming Steve “Zetro” Souza as the new vocalist, it is the first work of the new lineup. Zetro’s rough yet sure-expression voice, violently colliding with the guitar’s sharp chopping, powerfully pushes the songs forward. From the aggression of the opener “Deranged” and the drama of the title track “Pleasures of the Flesh” to a cut like “Brain Dead,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Parasite” and “Faster Than You’ll Ever Live to Be” convey the work’s fullness. By short, sharp-cutting parts and long, tension-drawing developments appearing in turn, the album has almost no room to settle. A record that, while firmly keeping a still-rough feel, clearly conveys Exodus’s vigorous drive to move powerfully to the next stage. Zetro’s joining brought new steadiness to the band’s musicality. A powerful, engaging, fulfilling work showing Bay Area thrash’s sure evolution — a record inscribing a new step for the band.