The Exploited Albums (14)
What The Critics Say
In 2003, one might expect to find the members of the Exploited in the dole queue farting and chuckling, or perhaps scraping their tired bones together for a reunion tour, where they'd unenthusiastically sing "Sex and Violence" for the fourth generation of Mohawked youngsters. Their main theme of chaos doesn't seem like it could possibly jibe well with adulthood. But it turns out these flabby, bald-headed punkers have plenty of bite left in them. In fact, on Fuck the System, they sound like they could incinerate Blink 182, beat the Offspring to a pulp and leave them in a ditch, and plunder and rape Sum 41. If nothing else, the Exploited could certainly teach those pretty boy whippersnappers a couple of things. Fuck the System rips from the earliest howl of the title track to its closing screech. It manages to be violent and catchy, while the lyrics are simple, though not crude. Wattie Buchan's vocals are intense like he means what he screams, and the band is tight, firing off blistering rounds of shrapnel-like punk rock. One could not ask for a more satisfying effort from a gaggle of wrinkly, old bastards. ~ Adam Bregman, All Music Guide
'Beat the Bastards'
Release Date 2/26/1996
Tracks 13
Label Music For Freaks
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Still thriving on the same venomous punk metal they helped create 15 years before, the Exploited come off as the angry old grandfathers of hardcore. After years of influencing other bands, it is almost refreshing to see them still making stronger music than many of the bands that have come and gone in their lifetime. Tracks like "System F**ked Up" have the same chugging riffs and gruff vocals of old, but inject a heavy production style reminiscent of S.O.D. or Suicidal Tendencies. In fact, those are two accurate comparisons for anyone unfamiliar with the Exploited; they have the same biting irony and unhappy attitude that those two groups are known for. The major difference is that the Exploited are definitely more straightforward and hateful, something that does not always work for them. The music is always game for that sort of lyrics, but through the album it becomes apparent that they could use a sense of humor. By the time songs like "Massacre of Innocents" roll around, the album becomes more about the sound of the music and the lyrics become less of an issue. But despite the problems with the lyrics, this is otherwise a very entertaining and angry album that shows a 15-year-old group displaying talent and energy far beyond most of its younger peers. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
'Death Before Dishonour'
Release Date 10/17/1990
Tracks 19
Label Relativity
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
One of the most riveting British punk rock units of the early 1980s, the Exploited could have cared less about mainstream pop sensibilities and insisted on keeping things raw and hardcore. With the Clash having become more polished, the Damned and Sham 69 having gone downhill and the Sex Pistols having disbanded, the Exploited came to symbolize U.K. punk at its roughest. The Britons never had a major pop hit like the Clash's "Rock the Casbah," but they had no problem commanding a devoted following in the punk underground and among the British working class. Punk doesn't get much more passionate and recklessly fun than On Stage, recorded live in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1981. The sound quality isn't great by any means, but the band's vitality comes through loud and clear on such angry, sneering classics as "I Believe In Anarchy," "Dogs of War" and "Cop Cars." This is material that no punk fan should be without. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
