With a tour upcoming in a week or so, Exodus unleash studio album number twelve on March 20th. Rob Dukes is back and I will say that I was a fan of Shovel Headed Kill Machine and Rob’s other works with the band, his singing style not being a huge departure from Steve Souza’s though with a bit more range. I find it quite jarring when a band has a massive vocal change, though some make it work (Sound of White Noise still ranks as one of my favourite Anthrax albums).
Exodus have always stuck fairly rigidly to the classic thrash sound though the guitars have maybe downtuned a little over the years to bring across a heavier edge. This is very much noticeable on Goliath as a whole, including opener “3111” though “Hostic Humani Generis” proves that they’re definitely not interested in slowing the pace completely. Definitely a thrash track (with a little solo break) it also conveys the genre’s punk roots in places though most of it is simply barely-contained musical fury.
What Exodus have managed is to keep the pace and heaviness cranked while still providing a bunch of individually recognisable tracks. “Promise You This” stands out at being abnormally catchy and funky for a thrash song, while still being unmistakably Exodus. That bass undertone… oh yes. The title track is one of those occasions when Exodus decide to do something a little different and go all Sabbath. Slow and heavy as befits the title, it’s more of a heavy metal song than thrash – with violins rather than violence. This isn’t a band afraid to throw the odd curveball (“Architect of Pain”, “Slow Rider”…) but to make their oddball song the title track is bold.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
It’s surrounded by more blistering songs, though. “Beyond The Event Horizon” is as fast as the band have ever been, for instance, and the solos in “2 Minutes of Hate” (which runs for five minutes obviously) and “The Dirtiest of the Dozen” simply shred.
There’s nothing on here which hits and runs either. Most songs sit around the five minute mark with “Changing Me” being a smidgen over six, and “Summon of the God Unknown” being a beast, falling seconds short of eight minutes. The latter is another heavier number, chugging rather than zipping along.
As mentioned, they’ve got some UK dates coming up soon with a hell of a lineup. I wonder how many of these tracks will make it into their set, and whether they’re going to focus the songs which hark back more to the chainsaw-fast trademark sound. Or if they’ll mix things up with a heavier number. The aforementioned “Promise You This” would be welcome!
While not an absolute classic of an Exodus album, this is a mature outing and still sounds very much like the band of old while not being predictable or stale.
In case you missed it, our own Weezy talked to Gary Holt recently, too!
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Header image by Jim Louvau
Goliath is out on March 20th
Check out all the bands we review in 2026 on our Spotify and YouTube
Exodus: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube
