(Live Review) EXODUS + SUPPORT - Joliet, IL (11/14/24)
By
The Beard & Little Johnny
Greetings friends, fans, and followers and welcome to another Beard and Little Johnny review. This will be show #71 and bands #231-234 of this year.
Tonight, we rolled on to our final 2024 Joliet, IL stop at The Forge for a night of thrash metal. The Beard allowed Little Johnny to book this one and the lad had his elbow pads on as we covered industry thrash legends Exodus, along with Colorado's Havok and featuring support from hardcore artists Candy, along with west coast crossover band Dead Heat.
The Beard is most assuredly going to spend the evening hiding in the Forge's balcony area since you take your life in your hands being on the floor for this kind of show. Johnny, however, has chugged four red bulls and is now ready to smash and be smashed. As a special guest tonight, the Beard brought Miss Kelly Witte to her very first thrash metal show, so we can get some first-time views of a novice to this kind of event. (Ed: You could have eased her in by taking her to a Metallica show.)
DEAD HEAT
First up, from Oxnard California, were thrashing/hardcore quintet Dead Heat.
Dead Heat have had two full length releases since their 2016 inception. Their latest was 2021’s World at War. A five-man band, Dead Heat were thrash with hardcore elements. A bit too hardcore for me, but Little Johnny was off with the crowd (on the first number of the evening) and circling with his little elbows flying. “Take it easy little dude. There’s a long night ahead.”
Dead Heat’s lyrics were pretty indecipherable as the vocalist, (identified only as Chris), screamed into the microphone, but I thought the drumming (by Yogie) was good. They certainly hit the stage with some balls out energy, but by song three “Chris” already sounded blown up and out of breath. Perhaps more cardio.
The song “Dead Heat” was good. After that, the singer said “The next song is about doing drugs and falling off a cliff. I don’t recommend it.” That seems sound advice. For an opener, although sloppy, Dead Heat were fine, and I awarded a 75/100.
Johnny? Miss Kelly? Your thoughts.
Miss Kelly said, “I didn’t understand any of that, but they were certainly energetic.” Little Johnny said, “This was a good start Beard. You should come down here.” I will pass little dude. Perfectly fine right where I am thank you.
CANDY
Next up were bi-coastal quartet Candy (who mixed hardcore with industrial and shoegazing.) Johnny “still” has not figured that term out as I sometimes catch him looking down at his Nikes with a puzzled expression.
Candy were touring behind their newest release, It’s Inside You .The Beard can still see Johnny, (so he made it through the first act) however, he did just spot a couple sporting mohawks, (one bright red and one multi-colored), and ran for cover since for some reason he thinks people with mohawks are really giant birds coming to get him. Perhaps cutting back on his Red Bull intake is a good idea.
Candy was a quartet; their singer was just as unintelligible as the guy in Dead Heat, but also just as intense. Candy’s music though had slow portions. It was like hardcore mixed with doomy shoegaze. As a result, the crowd moshed when the band played the fast parts, but with the tempo changes being so frequent, I think most of the main floor were saving up their energy for Havok and Exodus.
While Candy was an original amalgamation of styles, I think I will agree with the crowd, pass on consuming any more Candy and just wait for the main course.
Judging by the smell now permeating the balcony area, it seems at least some of the audience have started opening their own bags of green candy. (Nope, those aren’t M&M’s.) Truthfully, I think this act was best summed up by the gentlemen seated about two spaces to my right. When Candy’s singer said, “We got a few songs left” this guy yelled back “That’s one too many.” Well put Sir. The Beard is going 71/100.
Johnny? Kelly? What did you think? Miss Kelly said, “Oh, I didn’t like them much. They did not seem like they knew what they were doing really.” Johnny said, “Beard, did you see those giant bird people?”
Those are mohawks Johnny. “I don’t care what “kind” of bird they are Beard; I just don’t want em near me.”
HAVOK
Next up were Colorado thrash quartet Havok. These guys ranked high on Little Johnny's best live sets of this summer’s Milwaukee Metalfest, and the lad proudly took a few bumps and bruises home from that event. Havok have released five albums since 2009, the last one being the unimaginatively titled V from 2020.
Good clean singing from singer David Sanchez. Great drumming from Pete Webber, (who looked like Paul Bunyan with that beard.) The Beard salutes you sir.
Havok played a mix of old and new tracks from their five releases, and both were received equally by a happy crowd that surfed and moshed hard. Little Johnny shot by twice, the second time with his shirt wrapped around his head like an Indian head dress, thrashing all the way to the front and screaming “ABC’s motherf@#ker!!” Definitely cutting his Red Bull intake.
Nice, frenzied set by Havok. I would have enjoyed them anyway, but following Candy just upped their grade a bunch. The Beard is going 87/100.
Since Johnny is wandering the pit area trying to find his left shoe, I will just assume he loved Havok. Miss Kelly what did you think? “They were really good. Wow, that crowd was something else. I don’t know how they do that and nobody gets hurt.”
EXODUS
Exodus Live
Headliners Exodus have been at the forefront of American thrash metal since 1980. Exodus have released a dozen albums in their four plus decades but probably none more influential than their 1985 masterpiece Bonded by Blood. Exodus, (along with Testament, Overkill, and Death Angel), often make up the underground big four of thrash metal. (Ed: What about Canada's Razor and Voivod?) Led by Steve “Zetro” Souza on the microphone, Gary Holt on lead guitar, and, of course, original founding member Tom Hunting on drums, Exodus are basically a Metallica that did not quite make it to the ultra-big time. (Ed: That's what happens if you don't sell out. Heh, heh.)
Opening with "Last Act of Defiance" from 1989’s Fabulous Disaster, they jumped right to the much more current Blood in Blood from that 2014 release. Gary Holt continues to play strong, and the newest member Lee Altus (2005) provided a great guitar counterpunch as signified many times throughout the set when they jammed together.
Exodus then went back to old school with "Fabulous Disaster", and all the way back to "And Then There Were None" from 1985’s Bonded by Blood.
Continuing the time jumps, "Body Harvest", "Prescribing Horror", and "The Beatings Will Continue" from their last two releases would be next, (and honestly their latest stuff sounded as good as the classic material), before pulling out two great crowd favorites, "Brain Dead" and "Deathampetamine" which both had the main floor in a frenzy and the crowd yelling the lyrics back to Zetro like passionate cultists.
All throughout the set moshers, headbangers and crowd surfers were non-stop and kudos to the Forge for allowing the mayhem to go on and treating everyone respectfully and safely. Zetro made mention of that fact as well as reminding the faithful that although Exodus loved the mayhem, it was always important to remember if a man goes down you pick him back up because metal is (after all) your family. Great sentiment and for everything that happens at these shows, you almost never see an actual fight break out which means we DO remember we are a brotherhood.
"Blacklist" (Temple of the Damned 2004) was one I was unfamiliar with, but then it was back to the beginning for "Metal Command" and "War is My Shepherd" before announcing the one EVERYBODY knows, "Toxic Waltz".
Now, to be completely honest, "Toxic Waltz" was Zetros worst sounding song of the set. Lyrically the band sounded like crap and the playing was completely sloppy. That said, just like when AC/DC plays "Back in Black", or Judas Priest plays "Breaking the Law", "Toxic Waltz" (for Exodus) at this point is largely just playing the framework and allowing everyone in the crowd to sing/scream and go completely batshit lunatic for about four minutes. Mission accomplished. (Ed: Which begs the question - Are metalheads really that smart? Talk amongst yourselves.)
The encore was "Strike of the Beast" where my guest Miss Kelly got her very first taste of a “Pit War” as Zetro parted the crowd like the Red Sea and then Gary Holt played the intro and dropped the hammer. The two sides of the room rushed each other like a scene from Braveheart eliciting a full throated “Oh My Goodness!” from an awestruck Miss Kelly, as bodies collided and bounced throughout the main floor.
Upon conclusion of the set, Exodus spent some time throwing out picks and a few drumsticks and set lists (like they were feeding the Lions at the Zoo), before bidding the crowd farewell and heading off into the night. Quite the enjoyable Old School thrash show and the Beard happily awards an 89/100 for Exodus.
Afterwards, we headed downstairs and found Little Johnny talking with the guys from Toxik at the merch booth. We gathered him up, made him put his shirt back on and headed to the metal bus for the trip home. Before allowing him in the back, Miss Kelly Febrezed him with about a half a can of Autumn Harvest saying, “He should smell like leaves, not something that crawled into them and died.”
While Johnny helpfully went to sleep in the back of the metal bus, Miss Kelly opined that she enjoyed several parts of her first thrash show experience. She said it might be a case-by-case basis for future shows, but she loved the energy and passion metal fans displayed as well as the camaraderie and brotherhood. The Beard said” That is what we want everyone to see at a Metal show.”
So, this ends show #71 and bands #231-234. We are closing in on our final metal shows of 2024. It has been another great year with amazing sets and bands. Remember to look for us every Wednesday on your home for metal, The Mighty Decibel. Watch all our videos of bands and live shows at our TikTok site by searching thebeard0728 and friend or follow Mark McQueen on Facebook for all the non-metal reviews. Until next time this is the Beard & Little Johnny saying, “Live Life.” “Stay Heavy.” And “Horns Up.”
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