Exodus drummer Tom Hunting recently opened up about the intense and highly rewarding process of recording the thrash metal legends’ twelfth studio album, Goliath. Released on March 20 through Napalm Records, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s Persona Non Grata marks a major creative milestone for the veteran group.
Sitting down for a recent interview with “Metal Kaoz,” the founding drummer discussed the band’s decision to track the new material at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California, working alongside seasoned engineer Juan Urteaga.
“It was awesome. We recorded in Pacheco [California], at our friend Juan Urteaga‘s studio [Trident Studios]. A lot of bands have done work there. Testament‘s done a bunch of work there. And we’ve known him for years, but we never tracked there. And it was a really good experience. It was a positive experience,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Detailing how good it felt to be back in the recording mindset, he explained the organic workflow he shares with guitarist Gary Holt. What started as just a handful of song ideas rapidly expanded into a massive 18-track session as the creative floodgates opened.
“Oh, it felt great. It’s pretty organic, the formula. Gary [Holt, Exodus guitarist] and I, we were near his house where our jam room is in Northern California. We were kind of traversing the state, or I was, anyway, while we were writing stuff. And he would come up with a riff and I would meet up with him and we’d jam it out. So we went in with the makings of, like, seven songs, seven or eight maybe, and we ended up recording 18. Lee [Altus, Exodus guitarist] and Gary both, even in the midst of me tracking, whoever was tracking, they were writing constantly. So, it was an explosion, pretty much, of being creative. So it was a really fun thing to be a part of. It was inspiring. We were inspiring each other. It was really cool.”
He credited the band’s tight-knit friendship and genuine love for playing music together as the driving force behind this massive output. With bassist Jack Gibson also stepping up to help arrange the flood of new riffs, the overall mood in the studio was incredibly uplifting.
“The process has always been the same. We like to play music, and we like to jam and we like hanging out with each other. We enjoy each other’s company. So, the music’s kind of a byproduct of our life, if you look at it that way. We have to tour — we have to tour to make a living. But if the worst thing that happens to me is I gotta wake up in the world somewhere and play music, I’m f**king winning, dude. We’re lucky people to have this journey, so we understand that.”
“I just think ideas were flowing so much, and they were coming from everybody. Jack [Gibson, Exodus bassist] was helping with arranging, Gary was spitting out riffs, Lee was spitting out riffs, and I was trying to keep up. It didn’t feel like hard work. It just felt inspirational, is the best word I could describe it with. And it was just a fun thing to be a part of. If you’re in a band and that’s going on, you wanna jump in.”
Finally, the drummer praised the stellar performance of returning vocalist Rob Dukes, who officially stepped back into the frontman role in January 2025 following the departure of Steve “Zetro” Souza.
“[Rob] did a great job on this record, man… He brought a lot of really good ideas. It felt like maybe there was a little unfinished business there. And he came out just crushing. He blew our minds. Vocally on this record, he took it to places that we didn’t even know it could go. And nobody ever says, ‘That’s not heavy enough.’ There’s no specific formula. I mean, we are who we are, so if we make music, it’s gonna sound like Exodus just naturally.”
Taking complete creative control, Exodus produced the new album themselves. To dial in the crushing sound, the band enlisted Mark Lewis (known for his work with Whitechapel, Nile, and Undeath) to handle mixing and mastering duties. The final result strikes a perfect balance between modern precision and the raw, aggressive intensity that has defined the group since their groundbreaking 1985 debut, Bonded By Blood.
Goliath Official Tracklist:
- “3111”
- “Hostis Humani Generis”
- “The Changing Me” (feat. Peter Tägtgren)
- “Promise You This”
- “Goliath” (feat. Katie Jacoby)
- “Beyond The Event Horizon”
- “2 Minutes Hate”
- “Violence Works”
- “Summon Of The God Unknown”
- “The Dirtiest Of The Dozen”
