Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1979 in Richmond, California. Their current lineup consists of guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus, bassist Jack Gibson, drummer Tom Hunting, and lead vocalist Rob Dukes. Notable former members include vocalists Paul Baloff and Steve "Zetro" Souza, drummers John Tempesta and Paul Bostaph, and founding guitarist Kirk Hammett who later joined fellow Bay Area thrash metal band Metallica. There are no original members left in Exodus other than Hunting, who had departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Holt, who has been in the band since 1981, is the only member to appear on every Exodus album. Much of the band's career has been affected by lineup changes, feuds between both band members and record companies, two extended hiatuses, deaths of former band members, and drug addictions.
Since its formation, Exodus has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, one compilation album, and a re-recording of their first album. The band had particular success during the mid-to-late 1980s with their first three studio albums: Bonded by Blood, Pleasures of the Flesh and Fabulous Disaster. The critical praise given to Fabulous Disaster garnered attention from major labels, including Capitol Records, with whom Exodus signed in 1989 and released two albums for the label: Impact Is Imminent and Force of Habit. After their first breakup in 1993 and a short-lived reunion from 1997–1998, Exodus reunited once again in 2001, and since then, they have released six more studio albums, starting with and including Tempo of the Damned, which reignited Exodus' popularity and is considered to be a key part in the early-to-mid-2000s thrash metal revival movement. The band's thirteenth and latest studio album, Goliath, is due for release on March 20, 2026.
Along with Metallica, Exodus is often credited as pioneers of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, and have been referred to as one of the region's so-called "Big Six" alongside Testament, Death Angel, Lȧȧz Rockit, Forbidden, and Vio-lence. Exodus has sold over five million albums worldwide, and they are also considered to be one of the "Big Eight" of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, and Death Angel. In 2016, the staff of Loudwire named them the 25th best metal band of all time.
History
Formation and early years (1979–1984)
Exodus was formed in 1979 by guitarists Kirk Hammett and Tim Agnello, drummer and vocalist Tom Hunting, and vocalist Keith Stewart, while they attended high school together. The band added bass guitarist Carlton Melson in 1980, and the quintet began making a name for themselves playing backyard parties and various school functions. They played mostly cover songs in the vein of 1970s hard rock and the new wave of British heavy metal acts but also developed some of their own original songs. Stewart soon left the band and Hunting became the band's sole vocalist for some time. Melson was replaced in 1981 by bass guitarist Jeff Andrews. Agnello would also leave the group which left Exodus to perform as a power trio until a replacement guitarist was found in Hammett's friend and Exodus roadie Gary Holt.Hammett had befriended Paul Baloff over their shared admiration for punk rock and 1970s heavy metal music, and he was soon brought into the fold as the band's lead vocalist. The band's music began to incorporate elements of hardcore punk into their NWOBHM roots, and Exodus was considered by many as a pioneer of the Bay Area thrash metal scene. The quintet recorded a three-track demo tape in 1982 consisting of the songs "Whipping Queen", "Death and Domination" and "Warlord", a release which would be Hammett's only recording with Exodus until 2014. This demo was widely circulated in the underground tape trading community, and has been cited as an influence or inspiration by some of Exodus' peers on the thrash metal circuit, with the members of Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax reportedly having received copies of the demo via tape trading before recording their respective debut albums.
As the band played more shows in regional clubs, they gained a large, fervent fanbase known for their violent concert behavior. In November 1982, Exodus opened for Metallica at the Old Waldorf venue in San Francisco, and it was there that the latter first met Hammett. In April 1983, Hammett left Exodus to replace Dave Mustaine in Metallica on the recommendation of producer and then-manager Mark Whitaker, leaving Holt to effectively take creative control of the band. Hammett was replaced temporarily by Mike Maung, followed by Evan McCaskey, before the band finally found a permanent replacement in guitarist Rick Hunolt. Jeff Andrews also left to start an early incarnation of pioneering death metal band Possessed, and was replaced by bass guitarist Rob McKillop.
With the lineup stabilized, Exodus entered Turk Street Studios in the spring of 1984 with producer Doug Piercy to record demos of songs that would later appear on their debut album. The band was signed to New York-based start-up label Torrid Records and Exodus entered Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati that summer.
''Bonded by Blood'' and rise in popularity (1984–1991)
The band recorded their debut album, Bonded by Blood, in the summer of 1984 with the band's manager Mark Whitaker producing. Concert photos from their 1984 performance at Aquatic Park's Eastern Front Metal Festival and at Ruthie's Inn were included on the album sleeve inserts. Originally titled A Lesson in Violence, the album was not released until April 1985 amidst creative and business setbacks. Whilst Bonded by Blood is considered a highly influential thrash metal album today, critics have regarded the delay in its release as having hindered the impact the album could have had. As AllMusic reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia would later write in his review for the album, "Had it been released immediately after it was recorded in 1984, Exodus' Bonded by Blood might be regarded today alongside Metallica's Kill 'Em All as one of the landmark albums responsible for launching the thrash metal wave." Exodus promoted the album by going on tour with Venom and Slayer on the Ultimate Revenge Tour. Four songs from their performance of April 5, 1985 at Studio 54 in New York City were filmed and released on home video as Combat Tour Live: The Ultimate Revenge. The band subsequently toured or played selected shows with Exciter, Megadeth, Anthrax, King Diamond, Possessed, D.R.I., Nuclear Assault, and Hirax.Shortly after touring for Bonded by Blood was complete, Baloff was fired from the band allegedly due to his behavior related to alcohol and substance abuse. He was replaced by Steve "Zetro" Souza, who had previously been the lead vocalist for Legacy, a precursor of fellow Bay Area thrashers Testament. Baloff went on to form the band Piranha in 1987.
Exodus' lineup remained stable for the recording of their next two albums, and the underground success attained with Bonded by Blood would lead to the group's signing to Sony/Combat Records, who released the band's second album Pleasures of the Flesh in October 1987. The album was engineered by a then-unknown Sylvia Massy, who would go on to produce two releases by progressive metal band Tool. In support of Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus toured with Anthrax, Celtic Frost, M.O.D., Lȧȧz Rockit, and Testament.
The group's third full-length album, Fabulous Disaster, was released in January 1989. A music video for the song "The Toxic Waltz" would receive consistent rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball. Promotion for the album included Exodus embarking on the U.S. Headbangers Ball Tour with Anthrax and Helloween, which brought the band to a wider audience. Early in the tour, drummer Tom Hunting left the band for health and personal reasons. Vio-lence drummer Perry Strickland was quickly brought into the fold as a temporary replacement for the remainder of the tour, and John Tempesta would fill the position on a permanent basis until the band's first breakup in 1993. Fabulous Disaster reached No. 82 on the Billboard 200 chart.
After the success of Fabulous Disaster, Exodus signed a multi-album deal with Capitol Records in 1989. The band's fourth album, Impact Is Imminent, was released in July 1990. Despite being released on a major label, Impact Is Imminent was not as successful as Fabulous Disaster and debuted at No. 137 on the Billboard 200. Until the release of Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, Impact Is Imminent was Exodus' last album to enter the Billboard 200 chart. Exodus spent the latter half of 1990 touring in support of the album, including North America with Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera. Due to their label refusing to pay tour support, the world tour for Impact for Imminent was cut short; they were originally slated to tour Europe with Annihilator and Judas Priest as part of the latter's Painkiller tour, and the band was also reportedly intended to be the replacement for Death Angel as the support act of the Clash of the Titans tour in North America with Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax before the offer went to the then-up-and-coming band Alice in Chains.
In 1991, the band released its first live album, Good Friendly Violent Fun, which was recorded at the Fillmore on July 14, 1989.
''Force of Habit'', hiatus, and first reunion (1991–2000)
After the release of Good Friendly Violent Fun, the band toured sporadically for a year. Bass guitarist Rob McKillop was replaced by Michael Butler before the group recorded and released their next studio album, Force of Habit, in 1992. This album was something of a departure from the band's signature sound, containing several slower, "heavier" songs with less emphasis on the thrash aspect of their older material. The 11-minute track "Architect of Pain" is a good example of the change of direction, having a much slow and progressive, grinding feel than the usual high tempo thrash they had become known for. After touring for Force of Habit was completed, behind-the-scenes issues as well as a changing musical environment prompted the band to split up.Holt and Hunting formed the groove/thrash metal outfit Wardance in the mid-1990s, playing several shows around the Bay Area and recording a four-song demo, but the group never gained momentum and eventually disbanded.
Holt and Hunting reunited with Baloff and Hunolt for a short Exodus tour in 1997. The lineup was completed with Wardance bassist Jack Gibson. They released a live album titled Another Lesson in Violence recorded at the Trocadero Transfer in front of a home town audience. However, the group disbanded again the following year, in part due to a falling out with record label Century Media over the way promotion for the live album was handled, and over an aborted attempt at a live concert video which was filmed, but never released due to a financial dispute.