Thrasher legends Exodus returned with their twelfth studio album, Goliath, on March 20 via Napalm Records. The record marks a monumental chapter for the band, serving as the first full-length effort since the high-profile return of frontman Rob Dukes.
Speaking with Scott Davidson of Chicago’s “Rebel Radio“, founding guitarist Gary Holt explained the decision behind the album’s direct, heavy title—a departure from their usual naming conventions.
“Well, the song [‘Goliath‘] just screams enormity to all of us. And then we just like the sound of it. We’ve never had a single-word title to the album, and the album’s pretty enormous as it is. So we thought it was the perfect title for the record,” Holt shared (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
While Holt maintains that his fundamental riff-writing process remains unchanged regardless of who handles the microphone, he revealed that Rob Dukes surprised the entire band during the tracking sessions by showcasing an evolved performance toolkit.
“But on this album, we learned early on that Rob was capable of so much more than what we knew he could do, which we knew he could do ultra-aggressive, violent thrash better than anybody,” Holt noted. “But he showed all this additional range that he had developed, and so you do start running with it a little bit. And the album was such a collaborative feature anyway — there were so many creators on this record, and it really gave the sound its distinct flavor.”
The tracking sessions for Goliath, which acts as the follow-up to 2021’s Persona Non Grata, were so prolific that Exodus ended up writing and recording 80 percent of their next studio album simultaneously. The band had to narrow down an initial pool of 18 completed tracks to a final 10-song tracklist for Goliath.
“The planned opener, we decided to kick over to the next album, because I still have anxiety attacks over which songs we selected. Because the other songs, they aren’t leftovers. [It’s] some of the best stuff. Most of my really, really fast stuff is on the next record. Just the way the track listing and the way it all came together, we picked the ones that we thought made for a really adventurous, brave record,” Holt continued.
Holt, who recently turned 62, explained that facing their own mortality has pushed the veteran musicians to work at a breakneck pace.
“We were experiencing a huge creative surge. And we’re also well aware of our current age. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, you know what I mean?” he explained. “I just turned 62, and we figured if we could complete two albums at once, we could go on vacation when this album touring cycle is done and don’t have to go back into the studio at all. And we came just a little bit short of that. We need two more [songs], but we’ll write 10 more probably, and end up doing the whole thing again. But that still leaves us with extra material, ’cause you start facing mortality and if something happens to me, it’d be nice to have these last remaining works available for my children to sell or whatever. But we just keep rolling. We were writing at a breakneck pace, and why stop it?”
Holt continues to write riffs exactly as he did decades ago, substituting his classic cassette boombox for his phone to log ideas for his bandmates. He emphasized that the modern era of Exodus is defined by a complete lack of ego, with guitarist Lee Altus, drummer Tom Hunting, and lyric contributions from Rob Dukes sharing the weight, while bassist Jack Gibson guides arrangements.
“In the past, I wrote most of the albums ’cause I had to. I’ve always welcomed more input. And the more chefs in the Exodus kitchen, the better,” Holt concluded.
Notably, Goliath represents a significant sonic shift behind the scenes, marking the first time in nearly thirty years that an Exodus record was not mixed by Andy Sneap, who has spent the last eight years working as a producer and touring guitarist for Judas Priest.
During his first run with the band after replacing Steve “Zetro” Souza in 2005, Dukes recorded four essential albums with the group: Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005), The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A (2007), Let There Be Blood (2008), and Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010).
Goliath 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”
