Exodus "Force Of Habit"

Force of Habit is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released on August 17, 1992 by Capitol Records in the USA, and Toshiba-EMI in Japan. The songs are a departure from the thrash metal style for Exodus, slower and more experimental. Many of the song titles are common figures of speech.

Force of Habit is Exodus's last release until their 1997 live album Another Lesson in Violence and their last studio album until 2004's Tempo of the Damned, since the band went on two extended hiatuses. This is Exodus's last album to feature John Tempesta on drums and is also their only album to feature Mike Butler on bass as well as the band's only release without the jagged edged "Exodus" logo that had appeared on all of the band's previous and subsequent releases. It was later re-released in 2008 in a limited edition mini-album packaging to resemble the original vinyl release, including the inner sleeve. This version was remastered and includes the bonus tracks from the Japanese release. Force of Habit was also the second and last Exodus album to include more than one cover song (the other being 1989's Fabulous Disaster).

Force of Habit received a mixed review from AllMusic's Roch Parisien, who awarded the album three stars out of five, and stated that "Exodus slows the pace a notch, drops the guitars a register, and gives the thrash a little room to breathe." However, Gary Holt stated on Metal Evolution that Force of Habit is his least favorite Exodus album.

Force of Habit was the first Exodus album not to chart on the Billboard 200 since 1985's Bonded by Blood.

Track listing

1. "Thorn in My Side" Gary Holt, Steve Souza 4:06
2. "Me, Myself and I" Holt, Rick Hunolt 5:03
3. "Force of Habit" Holt, Souza 4:19
4. "Bitch" (The Rolling Stones cover) Mick Jagger, Keith Richards 2:48
5. "Fuel for the Fire" Holt, Souza 6:04
6. "One Foot in the Grave" Holt 5:19
7. "Count Your Blessings" Holt, Hunolt 7:31
8. "Climb Before the Fall" Holt, Hunolt, Souza 5:38
9. "Architect of Pain" Holt 11:02
10. "When It Rains It Pours" Holt 4:20
11. "Good Day to Die" Holt, Hunolt, Souza 4:48
12. "Pump It Up" (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover) Elvis Costello 3:10
13. "Feeding Time at the Zoo" Michael Butler, Holt, Hunolt, Souza, John Tempesta 4:33

Total length: 68:41

2008 Re-issue bonus tracks

1. "Crawl Before You Walk" Butler, Holt, Hunolt, Souza, Tempesta 3:59
2. "Telepathetic" Butler, Holt, Hunolt, Souza, Tempesta 4:48

Total length: 77:28

Recording information:

Produced and engineered at Battery Studios, London.

Mixed at Riversound, New York.

Additional recording and re-mixing at The Plant, Sausalito.