Exile

Exile is the sixteenth studio album by British musician Gary Numan. Its release continued a critical upswing in Numan's career which began three years earlier with the release of Sacrifice. The album followed a loose concept namely that, rather than being opposites, God and the Devil were two sides of the same coin. Each track reflected some aspect of this premise. Unlike Sacrifice, Numan’s theme in Exile was not so much atheistic as heretical; it did not deny the existence of God but, instead, his proclaimed goodness. Shortly after the album's release, Numan explained: "Personally, I don't believe in God at all, but if I'm wrong and there is a God, what kind of god would it be who would give us the world we live in?" The opening number and single, "Dominion Day", set the album’s gothic/industrial rock tone, describing how a man's nightmare becomes reality as Christ returns to Earth in scenes suggestive of the Book of Revelation. The tale was set against a wall of synthesizers, drum loops and distorted guitars.