RSS Feed


EXODUS
Goliath

Napalm (2026)
Rating: 7.5/10

There has been so much debate over the decades as to whether the so-called “big four of thrash” – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax – fully warrant their mythical inclusion. Metalheads have foamed at the mouth in pubs, record shops and, today, online that the more consistently “thrash” bands such as Testament, Overkill and Exodus deserve to replace a trio of titans who seriously deviated from their thrash, especially Metallica after their last decent album, …And Just For All (1988). The same could also be said for Megadeth, while some headbangers have been of the opinion that the foursome should never have included Anthrax, with Slayer the only band within the quartet to have remained consistently thrash.

Anyways, opinions are like arseholes in that we all have one, but what is fair to say is that alongside Testament and Overkill, San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Exodus have always loitered just outside of that “big four”, rarely veering from their destructive path.

With Goliath, Exodus – fronted by Rob Dukes once again having returned to the fold last year – remains a formidable force in spite of the goofy Day-Glo artwork. Dukes last fronted the band on the 2010 platter Exhibit B: The Human Condition, so I was a little wary as to how this 13th full-length outing would turn out.

I’ll openly admit that my love affair with Exodus waned when Dukes arrived in 2005, but I’ve never lost appreciation for the criminally underrated axe work of veteran member Gary Holt, and Lee Altus (ex-Heathen) who joined the ranks in 2005. This is a tag-team you can guarantee will blow you away and Goliath is another force to be reckoned with musically. The band, unlike so many, has remained relatively stable over the decades with original drummer Tom Hunting still bashing the skins hard, while since the late 90s Jack Gibson has thrashed the bass strings.

It’s a shame that vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza is no longer present here, but Dukes does his usual confrontational duties; snapping and grunting like an orc possessed. I can see why his style was apt in ushering in a new era for Exodus and here, as lead off singles ‘Goliath’ and ‘3111’ prove, he remains a constant threat and yet with contrasting styles.

The title track is probably the slowest Exodus song you’ll ever hear; a monolithic lumber reliant on a Black Sabbath-esque riff yet enough Southern sludge to remind me of latter day Exhorder. Dukes still spits venom, but the words are coated in the sediment of the riffs. Immediate applause must go to Hunting’s sticks; colossal slams which exhibit focused aggression on the expected thrash assault of ‘3111’, although even this cut begins with a slow burning doomy ooze before launching into a typically modern assault.

It’s all still very much Exodus in their thrash zone, particularly with the razor sharp speed of ‘Beyond The Event Horizon’ which is faster than most. At its most varied the album offers up ‘Promise You This’, a tasty groover with some killer axe work and a decidedly punkier feel. The vocals of Dukes are more like rappy crossover thrash chops and the drums kick hard on this.

To an extent, there is a littering of variation throughout the album, and some of the thrash die-hards may not approve, even more so when most of the numbers sit at the five-minute mark. So, there’s not necessarily any short n’ sharp thrash attacks, but you’ll still get bulldozed by the hasty solos in ‘2 Minutes Hate’, the crushing drum fills on ‘Hostis Humani Generis’ and the face-melting ‘The Dirtiest Of The Dozen’. No, it’s not classic Exodus, but the sheer weight of songs like the lengthy ‘Summon Of The God Unknown’ is enough to pummel the brain cells and ferocity is rarely sacrificed. Even as someone who has never fully taken to the Dukes era of Exodus, I’ll have to admit to liking a lot of this opus.

Over four decades in the business, Exodus still thrashes hard, and so those still yearning for the days of ‘Toxic Waltz’ must move on because the band most certainly has, and by reverting back to a period that was their most destructive.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share