539. Exodus / Impact is Imminent. 1990. 3.5/5

When it comes to legitimate thrash albums of the late 1980’s, this one ranks as one of the last. With most of their contemporaries allowing their style of metal to move away from straight out thrash, Exodus stick with what they know and deliver it with venom.

Listening to the album again today, it’s amazing how similar some riffs of some of the songs are to other bands of their era. It’s not surprising to hear pieces that remind me of Slayer and Anthrax – and the song “A.W.O.L” is just unmistakably Metallica of that era – given the shared history these bands have, but sometimes I had to check what I was listening to just to be certain is was Exodus.
In retrospect this album still holds up after 20 years. It doesn’t command the respect that other albums of the era do, such as …And Justice For All and South of Heaven and State of Euphoria and Rust in Peace, but it is still a solid entry in the Exodus production line. While the entry to the next decade did not bring the same sort of joy, Impact is Imminent keeps alive the thrash name for another release.

Favourites for me include “Impact is Imminent”, “A.W.O.L.”, “The Lunatic Parade” and “Within The Walls Of Chaos”.

Rating: Still plenty to enjoy after two decades. 3.5/5