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Bonded by Blood
Studio album by Exodus
Released	April 5, 1985
Recorded	July 1984
Studio	Prairie Sun (Cotati, California)
Genre	Thrash metal speed metal
Length	40:49
Label	Torrid/Combat
Producer	Mark Whitaker, Ken Adams, Todd Gordon
Exodus chronology
Bonded by Blood (1985) Pleasures of the Flesh (1987)
Alternative cover

Bonded by Blood is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. Although the album was completed in the summer of 1984, it was not released until 1985 due to issues with Exodus and the record label. It is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time. This is also the only full-length studio album of Exodus to feature Paul Baloff on vocals, though he was also on their 1982 Demo and appeared on their 1997 live album Another Lesson in Violence.

In 2008, Exodus re-recorded Bonded by Blood and re-released it as Let There Be Blood, featuring a new line-up of members aside from drummer Tom Hunting and guitarist Gary Holt who played on the original.

Album information

Bonded by Blood was originally titled A Lesson in Violence, but had its name changed when a suitable cover idea could not be found. An advance cassette copy of the album (with the original title) was widely distributed through the tape-trading network upon the record's completion late in the summer of 1984, creating an immense underground buzz prior to the official release of the LP. The release was delayed, however, due to problems with the artwork.

The song "Impaler" was originally to be featured on Bonded by Blood, but it was abandoned when Kirk Hammett took the main riff with him to Metallica (it was used on "Trapped Under Ice").

Album cover

The original album cover art was an illustration of good and evil conjoined twin infants. For the 1989 reissue this cover was replaced with the band logo on a red and black image of a crowd. The album was remastered and re-issued by Century Media in 1999 in Europe only, with two live tracks from its Combat re-release in 1989, featuring Steve Souza on vocals. This reissue from Century Media restored the original twin cover artwork.

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	8/10
Metal Forces	10/10

In a contemporary review, Bernard Doe of Metal Forces defined Bonded by Blood "a classic album in the thrash metal sense which is sure to be sneered at by the unconverted and mainstream media."

Bonded by Blood received a positive modern review from Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic, who states: "Had it been released immediately after it was recorded in 1984, Exodus' Bonded by Blood might be regarded today alongside Metallica's Kill 'Em All as one of the landmark albums responsible for launching the thrash metal wave" and adds that "Exodus were left to wonder what kind of impact they may have had without these setbacks." Rivadavia also described Bonded by Blood as "an album whose influence far exceeds its actual notoriety, and it remains a crucial piece of the thrash metal puzzle – essential." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff described Exodus as a band "doing what Metallica did best, and doing it with killer underground savagery", and considered Bonded by Blood "a solid, forward-thinking record". However, he observed that their "purist lack of compromise made somehow toneless and haranguing compared to multi-dimensional personalities like Metallica and Megadeth."

Accolades

In 2013, Bonded by Blood was ranked number 80 on Metal Rules' 'Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums'. In August 2014, Revolver placed the album on its "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own" list. The album was ranked number one on Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4".

In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Bonded by Blood as 45th on their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".

Thrash metal revival act Bonded by Blood named themselves after the album.

Track listing

All music is composed by Gary Holt, unless noted otherwise

Personnel

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes.

Exodus

• Paul Baloff – vocals
• Gary Holt – guitars
• Rick Hunolt – guitars
• Rob McKillop – bass
• Tom Hunting – drums

Additional personnel

• Satan's Choir – backing vocals

Production

• Ken Adams, Todd Gordon – executive producers
• Mark Whitaker – production, assistant engineer, mixing
• John Volaitis – engineer
• Robin Yeager – mixing at Tres Virgos Studios, San Rafael, California August 1984
• Gordon Lyons "The Triple Threat" – mixing assistant
• George Horn – mixing, mastering at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California

Artwork and design

• Donald J. Munz – cover art, layout
• Richard A. Ferraro – cover painting

References

1. "Exodus Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
2. "Exodus - Bonded by Blood". MetalReviews.com.
3. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Exodus – Bonded by Blood review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
4. Dome, Malcolm (February 2006). "Exodus' Bonded By Blood: the story behind thrash metal's ultimate lesson in violence". Metal Hammer. No. 149. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
5. "Exodus – Tempo of the Damned – Encyclopaedia Metallum". The Metal Archives. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
6. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-1894959315.
7. ^ Doe, Bernard (1985). "Exodus – Bonded by Blood". Metal Forces (9). Retrieved October 29, 2014.
8. "The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
9. "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own". Revolver.com. August 29, 2014. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
10. "Top 10 Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4". Loudwire.com. October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
11. "Rolling Stone Share Their Choices For 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time'". Theprp.com. June 21, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
12. Bonded by Blood (booklet). Exodus. Combat Records. 1985.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

• Exodus (American band) albums
• 1985 debut albums
• Combat Records albums