Exodus is an American thrash metal band from Richmond, California. Formed in 1979, the group originally included lead vocalist Keith Stewart, guitarists Kirk Hammett and Tim Agnello, and drummer Tom Hunting, who later added guitarist Mikey B, who left after six months. [1] The band currently consists of Hunting (a near consistent with absences between 1989 to 1997 and 2005 to 2007) alongside guitarist Gary Holt (since 1981), lead vocalist Rob Dukes (who first joined in 2005, and rejoined in 2025), bassist Jack Gibson (since 1997) and guitarist Lee Altus (since 2005).
In 1980 Stewart left later, with Hunting handling lead vocal duties for a short period. [1] [2] Agnello also left shortly after, leaving the band to continue as a trio. [3] [4] Melson was replaced by Jeff Andrews around the same time. [1] Gary Holt joined as Agnello's replacement in 1981. [5] In 1982, the band added vocalist Paul Baloff, who performed on its first three-track demo the same year. [6] The following April, Hammett left Exodus to join Metallica, with Rick Hunolt quickly brought in to replace him. [7] Andrews later left to form death metal band Possessed, and was replaced by Rob McKillop. [7]
With a settled lineup of Hunting, Holt, Baloff, McKillop and Hunolt, Exodus released its debut studio album Bonded by Blood in 1985. [7] Following the touring cycle for the album, Baloff was fired from Exodus due to "personal and musical differences," having contributed to the writing of two tracks for the band's second album. [6] [8] He was replaced by former Legacy singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. [9] After the release of Pleasures of the Flesh and Fabulous Disaster , Hunting left Exodus in 1989 and was replaced by John Tempesta. [2] Impact Is Imminent was released in 1990, and the following year McKillop was replaced by Mike Butler, who performed on the 1992 release Force of Habit . [10] Due to increased tensions between the singer and other members, the band fired Souza after touring throughout 1993, [11] shortly before disbanding. [10]
Holt and Hunolt reunited Exodus in 1997. Hunting and Baloff rejoined also, and Jack Gibson was added as their new bassist, completing a short tour which spawned the live album Another Lesson in Violence . [10] [12] The band returned again in September 2001, [13] before Baloff died on February 4, 2002, after suffering a stroke. [6] Just two days later, it was announced that Exodus would continue its scheduled tour with returning vocalist Souza. [14] The band released its first studio album in twelve years in February 2004, Tempo of the Damned , before Souza left again in September. [15] After Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey initially filled in on vocals, [16] Skinlab singer Steev Esquivel took over for tour dates in October and November, [17] [18] before Rob Dukes was brought in as Souza's official replacement in January 2005. [19]
Further lineup changes took place in 2005 – first Hunting was replaced by Paul Bostaph in May, [20] then Hunolt left in June, [21] with Heathen guitarist Lee Altus taking his place in August. [22] Shovel Headed Kill Machine was released in October, which was Bostaph's only recording with the band as Hunting returned in March 2007. [23] In 2012, Hunolt returned as a touring guitarist in place of Holt, who had begun touring with Slayer in place of Jeff Hanneman. [24] Holt later joined Slayer as an official member, with Heathen's Kragen Lum joining Exodus for tour dates in 2013. [25] In June 2014, Dukes was dismissed from Exodus and replaced by the returning Souza. [26]
On January 15, 2025, the band announced the departure of Souza, and subsequent return of Dukes. [27]
Image | Name | Years Active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Hunting |
|
|
| |
Gary Holt |
|
| all Exodus releases | |
Jack Gibson |
|
| all Exodus releases from Another Lesson in Violence (1997) onwards | |
Lee Altus | 2005–present | guitars | all Exodus releases from Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005) onwards, except Double Live Dynamo! (2008) | |
Rob Dukes |
| lead vocals | all Exodus releases from Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005) to Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010), except Double Live Dynamo! (2008) |
Image | Name | Years Active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kirk Hammett | 1979–1983 | lead guitar |
| |
Tim Agnello | 1979–1981 | guitars | none | |
Keith Stewart | 1979–1980 | lead vocals | ||
Carlton Melson | 1979–1981 | bass | ||
Jeff Andrews | 1981–1983 | 1982 Demo (1982) | ||
Paul Baloff |
| lead vocals |
| |
Mike Maung | 1983 | guitars | none | |
Evan McCaskey | 1983 (died 1989) | |||
Rob McKillop | 1983–1991 | bass |
| |
Rick Hunolt |
| guitars |
| |
Steve "Zetro" Souza |
| lead vocals |
| |
John Tempesta | 1989–1993 (substitute 2021) | drums |
| |
Mike Butler | 1991–1993 | bass | Force of Habit (1992) | |
Paul Bostaph | 2005–2007 | drums | Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005) |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Perry Strickland | 1989 (substitute) | drums | Strickland performed with Exodus following Hunting's departure in 1989, and prior to Tempesta's joining. | |
Gannon Hall | 1993 (substitute) | Hall and Kontos both filled in following the departure of Tempesta at the end of the band's 1993 tour. | ||
Chris Kontos | ||||
Matt Harvey | 2004 (substitute) | lead vocals | Harvey substituted for Souza in September 2004, prior to his official departure from the band. [16] | |
Steev Esquivel | Esquivel performed with Exodus for tour dates in late 2004, following Souza's departure in September. [17] [18] | |||
Kragen Lum |
|
| Lum has performed with Exodus for tour dates in 2013 and from 2015 to 2019, as Holt continued touring with Slayer. [25] | |
Brandon Ellis | 2022 (substitute) | guitars | Ellis filled in for Lee Altus for Exodus' 2022 summer European tour. [28] | |
Mike Schleibaum | 2023 (substitute) | Schleibaum, from Darkest Hour, filled in for Lee Altus on December 10, 2023, at Preserving Underground. |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1979–1980 |
| none |
1980 |
| |
1980–1981 |
| |
1981 |
| |
1981 |
| |
1981–1983 |
|
|
1983 |
| none |
1983 |
| |
1983–1986 |
|
|
1986–1989 |
|
|
1989 |
| none |
1989–1991 |
|
|
1991–1993 |
|
|
1993 |
| none |
1993 |
| |
Band inactive 1993–1997 | ||
1997–1998 |
|
|
Band inactive 1998–2001 | ||
September 2001 – February 2002 |
| none |
February 2002 – September 2004 |
|
|
September – October 2004 |
| none |
October – November 2004 |
| |
January – May 2005 |
| |
May – June 2005 |
| |
August 2005 – March 2007 |
|
|
March 2007 – June 2014 |
|
|
June 2014 – January 2025 |
|
|
January 2025 – present |
| none to date |
Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983 under the name Legacy, the band's current lineup comprises rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas. Testament has experienced many lineup changes over the years, with Peterson being the only remaining original member, though they have since reunited with Skolnick, who had been out of the band from 1992 to 2005. Billy has been a member of Testament since 1986, when he replaced original frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza, who had left to replace Paul Baloff in Exodus. Peterson and Billy are the only members to appear on all of Testament's studio albums. The band has released thirteen studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, thirteen singles and three DVDs. They are estimated to have sold over 1.4 million albums in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era, and over 14 million copies worldwide as of 2016.
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. There are no original members left in Exodus other than Hunting, who has departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007. Exodus is also notable for featuring a then-unknown Kirk Hammett, who was the band's lead guitarist from its inception until his departure in 1983, when he left to join fellow Bay Area thrash metal band Metallica as Dave Mustaine's replacement. Holt has been most consistent member throughout various lineup changes and breakups, and is the only member to appear on all of Exodus' recordings. Much of the band's career has also been affected by feuds between both band members and record companies, two extended hiatuses, deaths of former band members, and drug addictions.
Pavel Nicholas "Paul" Baloff was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist of the thrash metal band Exodus. He was fired from Exodus shortly after the release of the band's 1985 debut album Bonded by Blood, and sang with various other bands before rejoining Exodus in 1997. Baloff died of a stroke in 2002. He was of Russian descent.
Steve "Zetro" Souza is an American musician, best known for his work as a former lead vocalist with thrash metal band Exodus from 1986 to 1994, and again from 2002 to 2004. He rejoined Exodus for a third time from 2014 to 2025. Souza is one of two singers, along with Chuck Billy, for the band Dublin Death Patrol. He also sings for the thrash metal band Tenet and was the lead singer for the thrash metal band Legacy. In 2011, Souza announced his new project, Hatriot. He stepped down as the frontman of the band in 2015, leaving the role of lead vocals to his son, Cody.
Tempo of the Damned is the sixth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. Released on February 2, 2004 via Nuclear Blast, Tempo of the Damned was Exodus' first studio release since 1992's Force of Habit. It was the last appearance of longtime vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza until his return for 2014's Blood In, Blood Out as well as the last appearance of founding drummer Tom Hunting until 2007's The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A. The album was also the last studio appearance of guitarist Rick Hunolt until the band's 2021 album Persona Non Grata, where he made a guest appearance.
Fabulous Disaster is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. It was released on January 30, 1989 on the UK label Music for Nations, while the US version was released on Combat/Relativity Records. In 1999, Century Media remastered and reissued the band's first three albums in Europe only.
Pleasures of the Flesh is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Exodus. Released in 1987, it is the group's first album to feature Steve Souza on vocals after Paul Baloff was fired from the band. The record was remastered and re-issued by Century Media in 1998 for distribution in Europe only.
Bonded by Blood is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. Although the album was completed in the summer of 1984, it was not released until 1985 due to issues with Exodus and the record label. It is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time. This is also the only full-length studio album of Exodus to feature Paul Baloff on vocals, though he was also on their 1982 Demo and appeared on their 1997 live album Another Lesson in Violence.
Gary Wayne Holt is an American musician from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the guitarist, bandleader, and main songwriter for thrash metal band Exodus, and has also been a member of Slayer from 2011 to 2019 and again since 2024, initially joining as a temporary guitarist in place of Jeff Hanneman, and as a permanent guitarist after Hanneman's death in May 2013.
Heathen is an American thrash metal band originating from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1984 to 1993 and again from 2001 onwards. Despite never achieving commercial success, the band is often credited – alongside Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, Death Angel and Vio-lence – as one of the leaders of the Bay Area thrash metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s, and they have gone through several lineup changes, leaving guitarist Lee Altus as the only constant member. To date, Heathen has released four studio albums: Breaking the Silence (1987), Victims of Deception (1991), The Evolution of Chaos (2009) and Empire of the Blind (2020).
Impact Is Imminent is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released in 1990. Impact Is Imminent was Exodus' first album on Capitol Records as well as their first album to feature John Tempesta on drums. It was also the last studio album to feature Rob McKillop on bass, though he appeared on their first live album, Good Friendly Violent Fun, which was recorded live in 1989 but not released until 1991. Impact Is Imminent was re-released in 2008 in a limited edition mini-album packaging to resemble the original vinyl release, including the inner sleeve.
Shovel Headed Kill Machine is the seventh studio album by the American thrash metal band Exodus, released on October 4, 2005 through Nuclear Blast. It's the first album to feature new vocalist Rob Dukes, after the departure of Steve "Zetro" Souza during the band's South American tour in support of the band's previous album Tempo of the Damned. It is also the band's first studio album not to feature Rick Hunolt on guitars, with Lee Altus as his replacement, and the only Exodus album to feature Paul Bostaph on drums after Tom Hunting's second departure as a result of the reoccurrence of the illness that prompted him to depart in 1989. Shovel Headed Kill Machine sold over 3,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S.
Robert Dukes is an American vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the thrash metal band Exodus from 2005 to 2014 and again since 2025. He is also the vocalist of the crossover thrash project Generation Kill.
Thomas Hunting is an American musician. He is the drummer and only remaining original member of the thrash metal band Exodus.
The Headbangers Ball Tour was a North American tour presented by MTV's Headbangers Ball, which took place in April and May 1989. It was headlined by American thrash metal band Anthrax, and supported by Exodus and Helloween.
Blood In, Blood Out is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. It was released on October 14, 2014 through Nuclear Blast, and is the band's first album with vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza since 2004's Tempo of the Damned. The album also saw a reunion with original guitarist Kirk Hammett, who plays the guitar solo on "Salt the Wound". Blood In, Blood Out received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 38—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date. Exodus promoted the album with its first concert tour with Souza since he left the band in 2004, due to a feud with guitarist Gary Holt. This is also the only studio album the band released whilst Holt did double duties with Exodus and Slayer, the latter of where Holt had filled in for the late Jeff Hanneman until their disbandment in 2019.
The Final World Tour was the final concert tour by American thrash metal band Slayer, which began on May 10, 2018, and ended on November 30, 2019. The tour, consisting of 147 shows worldwide, served as a conclusion of the band's 38-year long career.
Persona Non Grata is the twelfth studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released on November 19, 2021. It is their first studio album since Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, It is also their second and last album to feature vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza since he returned to the band that same year, but departed in 2025. This album also features guest appearances from former Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt and guitarist Lee Altus' bandmate in Heathen, Kragen Lum, who both provide guitar solos on one of the album's tracks, "Lunatic-Liar-Lord". This is the band's final album to be released through Nuclear Blast, with whom the band signed in 2003.