San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal icons EXODUS are set to unleash their twelfth studio album, “Goliath”, on March 20, 2026 via Napalm Records. To kick things off, the band has just dropped the album’s crushing opener, “3111”. The track creeps in with dark, dissonant tension before exploding into relentless, high-speed thrash. It’s a standout moment on the record and a clear statement that EXODUS continue to evolve and hit harder than ever, even so deep into their legendary career.
Charging into 2026 with renewed hunger, EXODUS unleash “Goliath,” a record that once again cements their unshakable position at the very top of the thrash metal food chain. Across ten tracks, the band delivers some of the most varied and anthemic material of their career, proving that longevity has only sharpened their edge.
The fire burns even hotter with the celebrated return of Rob Dukes, the band’s iconic late-era frontman who first stepped behind the mic on 2005’s “Shovel Headed Kill Machine.” According to EXODUS themselves, this album captures the performance of his life. “Goliath” also stands as the most collaborative effort in the band’s more than four-decade history, featuring songwriting input from multiple members and special guest appearances by Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) and violinist Katie Jacoby.
EXODUS on “3111”: “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”.
“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 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 Tägtgren 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’s 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.
Produced by EXODUS, mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis (WHITECHAPEL, NILE, UNDEATH),”Goliath” beams with the explosive authenticity that has set EXODUS eons apart from their peers since the release of their debut, 1985’s groundbreaking thrash blueprint “Bonded By Blood”. 40 years later, EXODUS are steadfast in their refusal to settle for the safety of mediocrity, fearing nothing and no one and continuing to forge their trademark just as resolutely as they did in their fruition.
EXODUS on the new album “Goliath”: “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!”.
“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
