Exodus "Pleasures Of The Flesh"

Pleasures of the Flesh is the second album by the American thrash metal band Exodus. Released in 1987, it is the group's first album to feature Steve Souza on vocals. The record was remastered and re-issued by Century Media in 1998 for distribution in Europe only.

Pleasures of the Flesh was to originally feature cover art with an illustration of the band depicted as cannibals preparing and eating their meal. However, prior to release, the cover was replaced with a photo of the group members leaning on a bar. Just before the record's issuance, the original album cover was promoted by the record company in music magazines with the headline "Metal's Heaviest Meal". It was also available as a limited edition picture disc LP.

The writing and recording sessions for Pleasures of the Flesh took two years to complete. The album's release was delayed numerous times when Exodus continued touring in support of Bonded by Blood, and singer Paul Baloff had left the band just prior to the recording sessions, which began in 1987. There are several demos of songs from the album with Baloff circulating on the internet. Although he did not perform on the album, Baloff was credited on the tracks "Seeds of Hate", "Pleasures of the Flesh" and "Brain Dead".

Following the release of Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus toured for less than a year to promote it. They embarked on a month-long U.S. tour with Celtic Frost and Anthrax. The band toured the U.S. again in January and February 1988, this time with M.O.D. as a supporting act, which was followed three months later by a European tour with Lȧȧz Rockit.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gary Holt and Steve Souza, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Deranged" 3:46
2. "'Til Death Do Us Part" 4:50
3. "Parasite" 4:55
4. "Brain Dead" Paul Baloff, Holt 4:15
5. "Faster than You'll Ever Live to Be" 4:26

Side two

1. "Pleasures of the Flesh" Baloff, Holt 7:37
2. "30 Seconds" 0:40
3. "Seeds of Hate" Baloff, Holt 4:57
4. "Chemi-Kill" 5:46
5. "Choose Your Weapon" 4:52

Trivia:

- Even though Paul Baloff had left Exodus about a year before this album was released, he is credited as the co-writer of "Seeds of Hate", "Pleasures of the Flesh" and "Brain Dead".

- The album peaked at #82 on the Billboard 200.

- The lyrics here are taken from the booklet, except for few obvious typos that were corrected.

- The original cover was an illustration of Exodus depicted as cannibals preparing and eating their meal. However, just prior to the album's release, it was replaced by a photograph of the band members sitting in a bar.

Recording information:

Co-Produced by Exodus.

Recorded and mixed at Alpha-Omega, S.F.