Exhibit B: The Human Condition is the tenth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. The album picks up after The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A, continuing with long, epic songs (averaging around 6 minutes) with darker themes centered on war, death, society, politics and religion. It was released on May 7, 2010, in Europe and was released on May 18, 2010, in the United States. It debuted at number 114 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, Exhibit B was Exodus' first studio album since 1989's Fabulous Disaster that did not feature a lineup change from the preceding album. It sold around 4,600 copies in its first week of release in the U.S. Exhibit B was Exodus' last album with vocalist Rob Dukes until 2026's Goliath. It is one of the band's longest albums in their discography at 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Cover art
Guitarist Gary Holt commented on the bands intentions for the album's cover:
"We wanted to portray the violence of man at its finest, so we started with our own version of the Leonardo da Vinci sketch of Vitruvian Man, but done the 'EXODUS' way! I was pointed in the direction of Colin Larks of Rainsong Design for the cover and he killed it! To me, the artwork represents man and his affinity for bloodshed, ignorance, and all-around ability to be led like sheep to the slaughter. The image fits the songs on this record perfectly. The whole layout is going to be as sick as the record itself!"[dead link]
Music and lyrical themes
The album displays a variety of lyrical themes, but is almost entirely focused on dark and depressing topics.[original research?] Government is a recurring theme with "Downfall" describing the fall of major world governments through war and recession, and "March of the Sycophants" describing the hypocrisy of Christian conservatives. Some songs focus on tragic events such as the Nanking Massacre in "Nanking" and the killings carried out by Leonard Lake and Charles Ng in "The Ballad of Leonard and Charles".
Although the album pick up where The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A left off, it only does musically the albums do not share the same lyrical themes and it is not a concept. Guitarist Gary Holt stated "Exhibit "A" and "B" are tied together musically because "B" begins where "A" faded out and "B" ends where "A" came in."
Exhibit B: The Human Condition received positive reviews. Greg Prato from Allmusic said: "You can always count on Exodus to supply some good, old-fashioned, downright vicious thrash metal with each release. And the lads deliver once more on their 2010 offering, Exhibit B: The Human Condition (impressively, their fourth album over a six-year period -- 2004-2010), further describing it by saying - with the intensity not dipping one iota from beginning to end, and - Even with the tunes that momentarily take a breather ('Democide,' 'A Perpetual State of Indifference,' etc.), it's only a matter of time until Exodus rams down the gas pedal once again and returns to their chug-a-lug riffery. Exodus has always liked it fast and furious, and they certainly don't disappoint with Exhibit B: The Human Condition."
Ultimate Guitar wrote "Exodus has managed to remedy the problems they encountered on the last album by diversifying the songs more. Each of the tracks has its strong points and moments that make it stand out. To all those people who complain about the length, I say good riddance (pun intended). In summary, Exodus is the embodiment of the reason that there is no school except the old school and Exhibit B is physical evidence of that fact." Metal.de added "Anyone who liked the recent records featuring Rob Dukes will also be thrilled by *Exhibit B: The Human Condition*. But take note: this one won't click on the very first listen; it takes a few spins for the full flavor to unfold."
Track listing
All songs written by Gary Holt except where noted.
