Tempo Of The Damned delivers on all fronts that the so-called leaders of the pack have failed miserably to do in recent years. Exodus does not disgrace their fanbase with a garage rock production job as Metallica disowned the metal world with on St. Anger, nor do they incorporate shady electronic elements and unlistenable songs like Megadeth did by tempting fate and losing with Risk. Instead, Exodus have penned an album that could not have been better written by a band twenty years their junior, a rare feat in a metal world where creativity, stamina, and speed tend to peak with youth and then fade with age. "Impaler," a track co-written by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett in 1981 prior to him having left Exodus, does not sound dated at all and features a lengthy solo breakdown that became a live staple over the years despite only being recorded prior to now on their very first demo. The other track on Tempo from a different era entitled "Throwing Down" and written in 1997 for Gary Holt’s new project at the time Wardance, fits in perfectly with its mean southern groove and trademark Exodus solo break midway through.