| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING 3111 Hostis Humani Generis The Changing Me Promise You This Goliath Beyond The Event Horizon 2 Minutes Hate Violence Works Summon Of The God Unknown The Dirtiest Of The Dozen Release Date: March 20, 2026 Label: Napalm Records Website: exodusattack.com facebook.com/exodusattack instagram.com/exodusbandofficial |  |
The initial thrash explosion of the early 80s will always reign as one of the most special and influential and movements in all of metal. That being said, it's always a special occasion when a band that was part of that initial movement releases a new record. That being said, one of the frontrunners of the movement: Exodus, are releasing their twelfth album Goliath this year, and their first for Napalm Records. In the five years since the release of the last album Persona Non Grata, the Bay Area boys have been touring like savages across the globe, only to announce the rather surprising parting of ways with Steve "Zetro" Souza in early 2025 and the return of Rob Dukes, making this the first album with Dukes in 16 years since Exhibit B: The Human Condition. Given that the Dukes albums were some of the heaviest albums in the band's discography, there was a lot of excitement surrounding this release.
While Gary Holt will always remain as the band's principal songwriter and one of the all-time riff lords of thrash, Goliath features more songwriting contribution from all the other band members, with Lee Altus writing music for almost half the record, and with everyone (except Jack Gibson) contributing to the lyrics, opening up new possibilities for a band that's 40+ years into their career, and one that has firmly established themselves as one of the most brutal and unapologetically aggressive thrash bands. On top of that, Rob Dukes unleashes one of his finest vocal performances in years, returning to some of the lower register roars that were more prominent on Shovel Headed Kill Machine, and adding some stuff we haven't heard him do before.
With "3111" kicking things off a slow Sabbath-esque build-up and slamming into one of the best riffs on the whole record that gives your senses a vicious beating, the graphic lyrics paint the gnarly picture of the violence of the Mexican drug cartels, while eerily enough has become a big talking point as of the last few weeks with the events happening down there. The second half of the song almost feels like a tribute to Pantera with the riff resembling the "Psycho Holiday" riff, which of course makes for a cool rhythmic shift. I do feel that the solo could've used some more spicing up though. Whatever the first track lacked in the solo department is redeemed in "Hostis Humani Generis", a ruthless beast of a track with buzzsaw riffing that slices heads off clean like a steel blade serrated to perfection. "Promise You This" brings a punk-tinged vibe, while "Beyond The Event Horizon" wins the award for best riff on the entire record, and "2 Minutes Hate" pulls back on speed while still retaining a headbangable paced.
Returning to the subject of new possibilities on an Exodus album at this point, some of the biggest standout moments include "The Changing Me", with its anthemic melodic chorus that includes some vocal harmonies, courtesy of Tom Hunting, who Gary has jokingly, yet truthfully, claimed is the "best singer in Exodus", and guest: Peter Tagtgren. The title track is a mid-paced stomper and features Katie Jacoby bringing an element never heard on an Exodus record before: violin, and if that's not enough, "Violence Works" will make people really think Exodus lost their minds with it's funky and danceable grooves. Even if you do end up thinking that, just watch yourself fail the attempts to sit still and start swaying your shoulders, or even shaking your ass if you dare. All these new possibilities show that Exodus are more than willing to take some rather big steps to expand the sound in their 4th decade of dominance, while still retaining their thrash identity, and I as a fan welcome that with open arms.
A somewhat important component of the last bunch of Exodus records is a song that goes past 7 minutes, and we get that with "Summon Of The God Unknown", an 8-minute opus that almost feels like a tribute to "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", and while there are some tempo changes, the rhythmic feel stays rather consistent as opposed to varied. "The Dirtiest Of The Dozen" ends the album with the highest tempo on the entire album, and it gives Jack Gibson a moment in the spotlight with some bass leads.
Exodus have long already established themselves as one of the most consistent, brutal and reliable thrash bands in history. For 45 years, they've bled confidence, but probably even more so now with Goliath. This is a band that knows who they are, but show no fear in testing even their most stubborn and rage-induced fans that would rather stay in "rage" mode, with the incorporation of elements they haven't touched before. Don't be expecting sequels to Bonded By Blood, Fabulous Disaster or Tempo Of The Damned, because those have all been done already, and now Exodus is at a point where they're ready to just have fun. If metal is all about not giving a fuck, this is a band that embodies that spirit well.
While Gary Holt will always remain as the band's principal songwriter and one of the all-time riff lords of thrash, Goliath features more songwriting contribution from all the other band members, with Lee Altus writing music for almost half the record, and with everyone (except Jack Gibson) contributing to the lyrics, opening up new possibilities for a band that's 40+ years into their career, and one that has firmly established themselves as one of the most brutal and unapologetically aggressive thrash bands. On top of that, Rob Dukes unleashes one of his finest vocal performances in years, returning to some of the lower register roars that were more prominent on Shovel Headed Kill Machine, and adding some stuff we haven't heard him do before.
With "3111" kicking things off a slow Sabbath-esque build-up and slamming into one of the best riffs on the whole record that gives your senses a vicious beating, the graphic lyrics paint the gnarly picture of the violence of the Mexican drug cartels, while eerily enough has become a big talking point as of the last few weeks with the events happening down there. The second half of the song almost feels like a tribute to Pantera with the riff resembling the "Psycho Holiday" riff, which of course makes for a cool rhythmic shift. I do feel that the solo could've used some more spicing up though. Whatever the first track lacked in the solo department is redeemed in "Hostis Humani Generis", a ruthless beast of a track with buzzsaw riffing that slices heads off clean like a steel blade serrated to perfection. "Promise You This" brings a punk-tinged vibe, while "Beyond The Event Horizon" wins the award for best riff on the entire record, and "2 Minutes Hate" pulls back on speed while still retaining a headbangable paced.
Returning to the subject of new possibilities on an Exodus album at this point, some of the biggest standout moments include "The Changing Me", with its anthemic melodic chorus that includes some vocal harmonies, courtesy of Tom Hunting, who Gary has jokingly, yet truthfully, claimed is the "best singer in Exodus", and guest: Peter Tagtgren. The title track is a mid-paced stomper and features Katie Jacoby bringing an element never heard on an Exodus record before: violin, and if that's not enough, "Violence Works" will make people really think Exodus lost their minds with it's funky and danceable grooves. Even if you do end up thinking that, just watch yourself fail the attempts to sit still and start swaying your shoulders, or even shaking your ass if you dare. All these new possibilities show that Exodus are more than willing to take some rather big steps to expand the sound in their 4th decade of dominance, while still retaining their thrash identity, and I as a fan welcome that with open arms.
A somewhat important component of the last bunch of Exodus records is a song that goes past 7 minutes, and we get that with "Summon Of The God Unknown", an 8-minute opus that almost feels like a tribute to "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", and while there are some tempo changes, the rhythmic feel stays rather consistent as opposed to varied. "The Dirtiest Of The Dozen" ends the album with the highest tempo on the entire album, and it gives Jack Gibson a moment in the spotlight with some bass leads.
Exodus have long already established themselves as one of the most consistent, brutal and reliable thrash bands in history. For 45 years, they've bled confidence, but probably even more so now with Goliath. This is a band that knows who they are, but show no fear in testing even their most stubborn and rage-induced fans that would rather stay in "rage" mode, with the incorporation of elements they haven't touched before. Don't be expecting sequels to Bonded By Blood, Fabulous Disaster or Tempo Of The Damned, because those have all been done already, and now Exodus is at a point where they're ready to just have fun. If metal is all about not giving a fuck, this is a band that embodies that spirit well.
FINAL RATING
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