Veteran Californian thrashers Exodus have officially premiered their new single “3111” online. This track marks the return of vocalist Rob Dukes and the band’s first new output since signing with Napalm Records. While the group did shoot a music video for the track, it was apparently banned by YouTube for violating community standards, given the nature of violent footage featured in it.
The band’s guitarist Gary Holt spoke of that below, stating that they were threatened with the removal of their official YouTube channel should they publish the clip. As such, the group are working on two versions of the video and expect to launch the uncensored version elsewhere at a later date. The song itself is inspired by cartel killings in Mexico, with the band stating:
“We decided to go hard with the leadoff single, ‘3111‘. The song is about the narco killings in Juarez, and ‘3111‘ is the estimated number of murders for 2010 alone.”
The track leads off the campaign for the band’s twelfth studio album, “Goliath“, which they will have out on March 20th. Exodus self-produced this new album, with Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, Whitechapel) taking on the mixing and mastering duties. Collectively chiming in about it, the band offered:
“Are we excited for this record? That’s an understatement. We put everything we had into this record (and it’s 80 percent complete follow up, but we’ll save that conversation for another day!) and it’s one of our proudest accomplishments. Wildly collaborative, the most band centric album to date with four songs written by Lee, lyrics by Gary, Rob, Lee and Tom, and just killer all the way around. The time to let the monster loose is coming! Bow Down!”
A press release further went on to say the following about what to expect from “Goliath“, while also touching on a pair of featured guest appearances:
”Goliath‘ wastes no time proving as massive as its name, with a sinister introduction opening “3111”. Ode to owning one’s own volatility’ “’Hostis Humani Generis‘”’ features a palpable lyrical delivery from Rob Dukes that cuts like crystal amid frenetic riffs, before rolling into ‘The Changing Me‘.
The track’s introductory notes cascade into hair-raising rhythms, forming one of the band’s most anthemic offerings – blending menace and melody with the cleans of guest Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) together with Tom Hunting and at the end both Peter and Rob scream off the song.
Harmonic dual axe acrobatics from resident guitar legends Gary Holt and Lee Altus. ‘Promise You This‘ incites mosh pit treachery with explosive energy, cyclonic riffs and turbocharged soloing from Holt and Altus, prior to colossal title track ‘Goliath‘”’ simmering the tempo down with winding, malevolent leads, towering drums and ominous string work from Katie Jacoby coupling with intricate guitars.
The album standout showcases the band’s ever-increasingly dynamic approach, even decades into their historic reign. Tracks like ‘Beyond The Event Horizon‘ and ‘2 Minutes Hate‘ provide Exodus’ trademark deadly dose of thrash theatricality – the latter boasting one of the album’s most grimacing, grooving pit primers – while undeniably 90s-tinged metallic charm attacks alongside drummer Tom Hunting and bassist Jack Gibson’s unmistakable rhythmic rage on tracks like ‘Violence Works‘.
The nearly eight-minute epic ‘Summon Of The God Unknown‘ turns the danger dial to max capacity, setting the stage with a wicked introductory passage before traversing a variegated passage of trudging riffs and heavy metal melody.
Power packed closer ‘The Dirtiest Of The Dozen‘ wraps the album on a manic high, showcasing Exodus pulling out all the stops on all instruments. Flurried dueling solos, an isolated bass excursion, rigorous drum dexterity and a blend of both gritty vocal passages and cutting chants combine to serve as yet another prime example of the band’s ever-evolving musical mastery.’
“Goliath” track listing:
01 – “3111“
02 – “Hostis Humani Generis“
03 – “The Changing Me” (feat. Peter Tägtgren)
04 – “Promise You This“
05 – “Goliath” (feat. Katie Jacoby)
06 – “Beyond The Event Horizon“
07 – “2 Minutes Hate“
08 – “Violence Works“
09 – “Summon Of The God Unknown“
10 – “The Dirtiest Of The Dozen“
Pre-orders can be found via lnk.to/Exodus-Goliath.
