Exodus' 'Goliath' - Album Review

With two of the biggest thrash acts having already released new albums this year, one from America and one from Germany, it only seems fitting that a third would follow in fairly quick succession. Both Kreator and Megadeth impressed back in January with their latest efforts - but there has not been much thrash for me to cover since. As if sensing a lull in all things heavy, then, the California-based thrash legends Exodus stepped up to the plate last month and dropped something new - their thirteenth studio album overall and their first in four years, following on from 2021's Persona Non Grata (which I reviewed here). Whilst I am no thrash historian, given that Exodus can trace their history back to 1979, they may well be the first true thrash band. Whilst only drummer Tom Hunting is left in the band from that original genesis, as even guitarist, principal songwriter, and de facto bandleader Gary Holt did not come on board until 1981, Exodus are nevertheless a very important band in the history of thrash. Metallica's Kirk Hammett cut his teeth in the band before jumping ship in 1983 - and the late Paul Baloff is often considered one of the best thrash frontmen and overall personalities of all time. For whatever reason, though, it took the band until 1985 to release their debut album, the seminal Bonded by Blood, by which time they had been overtaken by many of the younger bands they had somewhat mentored. This is likely why Exodus were never considered part of the Big 4, despite deserving a place in truth due to their historic importance to the genre, and commercially they never managed to reach the heights of some others from the same scene. Bonded by Blood is, though, rightfully considered as one of the best thrash albums of all time - but, like many thrash acts, Exodus have had a bit of a mixed career since. Lots of line-up changes over the years have often hindered the band's momentum - particularly given that the band have had three distinct frontmen over the years who have often swapped places with each other. Hunting has been in and out of the band over the years, too, due to health reasons - and Holt's more recent commitments as a member of Slayer has limited songwriting opportunities over the past decade or so. Despite this, Exodus' recent work has been strong. Outside of Bonded by Blood and 1989's excellent Fabulous Disaster, I probably think that much of what has been released since the band's 2001 reunion has been some of their best work. Persona Non Grata, despite its length, has held up well - with both 2004's Tempo of the Damned and 2014's Blood In Blood Out also being excellent releases. The three albums released between the two, too, with frontman Rob Dukes are also strong - but I am less familiar with them, as I only expanded my Exodus CD collection earlier this year. Dukes is key here, too, as on Goliath, the band's aforementioned new album, he returns for the first time since 2010's Exhibit B: The Human Condition. Dukes was sacked in 2014 after a nine-year run - only to be reinstated again last year following Steve 'Zetro' Souza's third stint in the band coming to an acrimonious end. Given the length of time between Blood In Blood Out and Persona Non Grata, I fully expected to wait longer for the next Exodus album - and the frontman change I thought was sure to delay things further. That does not seem to have been the case, though, with Dukes instead likely giving the album sessions a boost - as he is credited with co-writing four of the album's songs. He has reignited his songwriting partnership with long-standing guitarist Lee Altus which was starting to bloom at the end of his previous era - which means that Holt handled the other six songs. The album is the band's most collaborative effort for a while, then, with Hunting also chipping in with some lyrics - meaning only long-standing bassist Jack Gibson the only band member to not contribute to the writing.

Many of Exodus' recent albums have also been on the longer side, but Goliath is the band's shortest since 2005's Shovel Headed Kill Machine at just under 55 minutes. This is still on the long side, but it is more concise than Exodus generally have been of late. It is also the band's first album since the 1990s where they have not worked with Andy Sneap in some capacity - who has produced and/or mixed every Exodus release since the 1997 live album Another Lesson in Violence. Exodus produced Goliath themselves, with Mark Lewis on mixing duties. The album kicks off with lead single 3111, a relatively mid-paced and crunchy number that does not exactly race out of the blocks - but instead hits the listener with a powerful opening riff that almost crawls out of the darkness, whilst Gibson's bass, which is often high in the mix, adds lots of weight and clang as the song opens out. At first, it seems as if the track could be a doomy number, with the initial slow-moving riffing, lumbering drums, and subtle synth backing - but the pace is soon picked up. The song does speed up, and it is energetic, but it is not as furious or as fast as the band can be - but there is plenty of crunch thanks to the guitar and the bass, and it allows Dukes to come in for the first time. His voice might not have the distinctive rasp of Zetro's Bon Scott-on-speed approach, but he has a great thrash tone and attitude - and there are some moments throughout this album, including during the chorus here, where he goes for a somewhat more extreme metal approach, which suits the heaviness the song is portraying. Holt's later guitar solo is strangely tortured and noisy, too, going for an effects-heavy approach. There is plenty of shredding elsewhere on the album - but 3111 goes for something a bit different overall and it largely works. Hostis Humani Generis segues nicely from the previous song, hitting the listener with another riff that builds up from a slower base - but this time the band roll through the gears and reach peak thrash speed and tone. Hunting really lays into his double bass drums during this intro section, which moves back and forth between thrashy and traditional metal riffs - but when Dukes starts to sing the pace remains fast. He spits out the lyrics with power, both the verses and the chorus are snappy, but the verses perhaps see him at his most unhinged - with a howled approach working well against the buzzsaw riffing beneath him. As is often the case with Exodus, the song here is a real riff-a-thon, with a particularly groovy one following the first chorus - whilst the bass patterns beneath Holt's later solo are also a bit different from the norm. Holt delivers a more typically melodic solo this time - but Altus then takes things to the next level with some high-octane shredding, which fits in nicely with the song's chaotic approach. The Changing Me features Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy; Pain; Bloodbath; Lindemann) on guest vocals - and he mixes well with Dukes throughout. The song opens in quite an anthemic manner, with a bit of a call-and-response guitar approach. A juddering main riff and a melodic lead call back and forth - before the two join forces in a NWOBHM-esque manner over some percussive drumming. Like 3111, and both of the songs are Altus compositions, The Changing Me is a bit more of a mid-paced number. The verses chug along nicely, with a good mix of energy and crunch, although as the chorus is approached the vocals become more erratic and distorted. Dukes utilises that more extreme end of his vocals here, whilst Tägtgren spits out some of the lyrics - but the song's overall highlight is its chorus. The chorus sees a more melodic approach taken, with both Dukes and Tägtgren singing in a cleaner manner - although Tägtgren does also add some screams into the background. The mix of vocal styles works well, and the chorus is a strange, melodic, mid-paced anthem which sounds a bit different from the norm for Exodus.

Promise You This returns to something much more akin to Exodus' bread and butter. It opens with just Hunting's drums, with the drummer playing quite a simple and punkish beat, but the song soon grows around him - with a chunky mid-paced riff allowing Hunting to change up his beat somewhat, and the band slowly speed up, so that when Dukes starts to sing a much thrashier vibe is present. The song is not as fast as Exodus can go, but it certainly feels more energetic and in your face than some of the more mid-paced moments here - and as thrash goes the track is pretty straight ahead. Exodus generally do well with twists and turns, but sometimes something just typical of the band's core sound is welcome - and the hard-driving crunch of this song and Dukes' raw thrash delivery helps it to become a bit of an overall highlight. The chorus is pleasing, too, adding a slightly more melodic edge whilst retaining the overall crunch. Backing vocals add a little bit of depth and take some of the harshness off Dukes' voice - making the chorus something of a fun shout-along affair that impresses after only a couple of listens. As if to ensure that the album's variety remains intact, following a pretty typical thrash song the band then slow thing down quite considerably with the lumbering title track - a doomy effort that is built around Black Sabbath-esque riffs, some booming drumming from Hunting, and a huge bass presence from Gibson. Gibson's work is often highlighted on this album as the bass is usually high in the mix - and he adds a lot of slow-burning swagger to this track, whilst Holt and Altus instead add riffs that are heavy and full of stoner energy. Dukes goes for a rawer approach vocally here, too, allowing the rougher side of his voice to shine. He sounds massive throughout this song, and the slower pace really allows him to have fun with his performance and express himself in a bit more of an unhinged and wild manner. Rather than traditional guitar solos, too, the band instead go for a riffier instrumental section which is backed by some dramatic strings - which, again, helps to shake things up, contrasting nicely with the creeping pace and riffing elsewhere. Clearly feeling the need to up the pace again following the doomy title track, Beyond the Event Horizon really speeds things up - with the band operating in high-octane thrash territory throughout. The main riff has that great thrash rhythm and buzzsaw sound on which the genre was built - whilst Hunting's drumming is punky and fast-paced and Gibson's bass flies around, again sounding prominent in the mix. Exodus like to shake things up, but they also like to deliver on the traditional thrash front - and this is one that just excels at a core sound. The pace is infectious and the excellent performance from Dukes has a great 1980s barked quality to it - whilst later instrumental sections briefly slow the pace to allow for groovy riffing and soloing. Two Minutes Hate is similar in that it is another pretty typical thrash number, but it reins in the pace and goes for a crunchy mid-paced sound that is still pretty energetic and anthemic. The sound of this song overall, including the bass-heavy mix and Duke's rawer vocal performance, reminds me quite a lot of Overkill - although some of the riffs that Holt and Altus throw in are a bit knottier and more complex than the punkier sound of the New Jersey band. The chorus is very Overkill in nature, though, and it is a real shout-along moment that makes it one of the album's hookiest segments. It also has one of the lengthiest guitar solo sections, too, with both Holt and Altus trading licks back and forth for quite a while. All of these things come together to make the track one of the album's standout cuts overall in my view.

Violence Works goes for a bit of a groovier approach, and it is one of those Exodus songs which feels slightly more experimental overall. Holt has always been a riff wizard, and before Dukes starts singing here he has already thrown out quite a few. The main riff feels like something a NWOBHM band might have tried if they were trying to compete with Pantera and Machine Head in the 1990s for groove - with some great little drum interludes from Hunting that showcase some impressive footwork and Lamb of God-esque rhythms. There is just something really interesting and rhythmic about this song that sets it apart. Very rarely are typical thrash patterns or drum grooves utilised here. Hunting has a lot more swing than usual in his drumming, whilst the way that the guitars and the bass lock in create something a bit more mechanical sounding at times. Other riffs later on feel like mid-2000s metalcore bouncy riffs with a thrash edge - and the whole song a real mix of moods as a result. Everything just about hangs together, though, and Dukes delivers over the top of this cacophony in a bit more of a straight ahead manner that brings some grit and grounding that would otherwise be missing. Summon of the God Unknown is the album's longest song, at just under eight minutes. Songs of this length have been typical on other recent Exodus albums, but most of the songs here are between four and six minutes long - so this track is the one that sees the band stretch out somewhat. It slows things down quite a bit early on, going for another stoner-esque approach - albeit there is more energy here than there was during the doom of the title track. Much of the song features snaking riffs which give the song a bit of a southern rock feel in places - and there are ever-present grooves in place as a result. As it is a longer song, it does branch out as it moves along - but early on it does largely stick to a heavier Corrosion of Conformity-type sound, with southern fried riffing, barked vocals, and plenty of groove; albeit with the razor-sharp production synonymous with thrash. The pace does pick up a bit as the song moves along, but it never really gets to proper thrash territory - with a lengthy guitar solo section instead sitting on top of a surprisingly bouncy riff with a busy bassline beneath it. Holt and Altus really stretch out here, though, with a good mix of soloing and some excellent twin lead guitar moments that add a lot of overall melody. The album then comes to a close with The Dirtiest of the Dozen, a faster-paced song which picks up the pace following the lengthy and snaking previous number - immediately hitting a strong thrash grove with some Diamond Head-esque guitar leads and a cut-away riff which really builds up excitement before the band crash back in. Following a couple of groovier pieces, a proper fast number is welcome - and it ensures that the album ends with a real burst of energy. The pace is slowed a little once Dukes starts to sing, as a choppy and neck-breaking riff is instead thrown in - but the pace is still pretty fast; and there are some extreme metal-esque sections later which up the pace further and see Dukes delivering harsh vocals with ease. A strong instrumental section later sees Gibson throwing down a few unaccompanied bass licks, building on his playing elsewhere, before Holt and Altus solo as would be expected. The song is a great way to end the album, as it feels nice and energetic following some less thrashy numbers - emphasising the core Exodus sound as album 13 draws to a close. This is an album that has grown on me quite a bit. I was unsure at first, but the mix of thrash and some more experimental pieces comes alive after repeated listens - and I think that this album showcases Dukes' best Exodus performance yet. The guitar playing is stellar as always, too, with Holt and Altus both writing plenty of big riffs. Thrash is still doing well in 2026 - and Exodus join Kreator and Megadeth in proving such.

The album was released on 20th March 2026 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for 3111.