Recorded during a one-off 1997 reunion show, this vibrant live album featured the near original lineup of thrash metal pioneers
Exodus; the only absent parties are original bassist
Geoff Andrews and guitarist
Kirk Hammet, who was probably tied up at his day job
Metallica. Though it was almost certainly tweaked in the studio at a later date, the performance captured on
Another Lesson in Violence sounds amazingly live and raw, containing furious renditions of the band's many early classics, screw-ups and all. The band wisely concentrates on material from their landmark debut
Bonded By Blood, the only to feature terminally cheesy vocalist
Paul Baloff, who incidentally, appears to have matured little in the intermittent 15 years. And in keeping with the spirit of the festivities, the only three tracks culled from their disappointing sophomore album
Pleasures of the Flesh were also co-written by
Baloff before his dismissal. As an added bonus, the band even resurrects a never recorded early track co-written by
Hammet called
"Impaler," and surely only a guest appearance from the man himself could have made this timely release more memorable. Probably of little interest to non-fans,
Another Lesson in Violence will certainly leave first-generation thrashers giddy with memories past. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
