Review Summary: Thank you very much, Mr Holt.
Let There Be Blood is, by definition, an album born surrounded by controversy (and not by accident, it must be said!). When Exodus decided to re-record the classic Bonded by Blood in full, the reaction was immediate: tampering with one of thrash’s sacred cows is almost heresy to many.
But Gary Holt’s decision wasn’t a random impulse.
Holt has always made it clear that the goal wasn’t to replace the original, but to give these songs the sonic treatment they never had. The production of Bonded by Blood (1985) was extremely limited: low budget, little studio time, and a dreadful sound even by the standards of the time. For me, it’s an unlistenable record, despite all its song writing potential.
So I can fully understand the simple idea behind Let There Be Blood: to capture those compositions with a modern, heavy, and technically refined production.
And this is where, dear reader, the review inevitably gets controversial.
Because for those who could never connect with the original (whether due to its poor production or the dreadful vocals of Paul Baloff) Let There Be Blood works almost like redemption. With a clean, heavy, and modern sound, the album transforms those songs into an extremely powerful modern thrash record.
I know nothing beats the original. That’s almost an unwritten rule. But honestly, it’s hard to ignore the leap that tracks like “Bonded by Blood,” “Exodus,” “A Lesson in Violence,” “Piranha,” and “Strike of the Beast” make here. With a robust production, the riffs gain body, the drums hit with real impact, and everything sounds more aggressive and defined.
In fact, it’s not even fair to single out just a few songs — ALL of them shine here. It’s genuinely hard to point out any flaws (oh, how I wish I could say the same about the original!).
Another key point is the performance of Rob Dukes. Here, he finally sounds more like a traditional thrash metal vocalist rather than leaning toward the metalcore-style approach that marked parts of his time with the band. His performance is fantastic and aggressive enough to preserve the essence of the material.
And yes, this is another VERY controversial take: it’s hard to imagine any remaster salvaging the original while keeping Baloff’s vocals. For some, he’s part of the album’s chaotic charm. For others (myself included), he’s exactly what tanked the original. I'm not proud or happy to say this, but I'll say it again anyway: he was horrible as a singer.
Taking all of this into account, Let There Be Blood does justice to the source material of Bonded by Blood. A record filled with fantastic songs that I simply cannot listen to in their original form due to how poorly they ultimately sound. It’s the paradox of light I described in my review of the original work.
In the end, I don't the album try to erase history. It exists alongside it. The original remains the raw, dirty, and essential document of thrash’s birth (good for those who loves it). Let There Be Blood, on the other hand, is the reinterpretation: heavier, clearer, and for many, far more listenable.
That’s exactly why it’s so divisive (and why it works so well).
And I gotta say: Gary Holt nailed it.
