So quite a bunch of things have been swirling around the Exodus camp over the last few years. First and foremost, Goliath is the long-time thrashers’ 13^th album and first for new label Napalm Records. I am a huge Exodus fan and have reviewed their last several albums and have seen them live a bunch of times. The one glaring issue they have had since 2005 is the lack of stability in the vocalist department, one that has and will continue to polarize fans, mainly on this new release.

When the band returned in 2004, after breaking up, they released possibly one of their strongest albums ever, Tempo of the Damned. I saw that tour, got their autographs, and spoke with them for a bit with my buddy Slips Jason Majinsky. That album destroys front to back. But before we could blink an eye, the band was having some issues with long-running singer, Zetro. Out was Zetro and in was Rob Dukes, a new face to us fans, and the 2005 release Shovel Headed Kill Machine actually was a killer album, and Paul Bostaph was in on drums and did a great job.

Saw them on this tour and they were all really cool. People were still screaming for Zet, however, Gary Holt was smart in having Rob emulate Zetro to a T, for the most part. Dukes sounds great on this album. Exodus then stumbled and bumbled their way through the next few albums. Saw them a bunch of times during these moments, and both Atrocity Exhibit albums were pretty good, but the band took on writing such long songs that each album was exceedingly bloated and drawn out, going over the 70-minute mark each time.

Then we all shook our heads on them re-recording their classic debut, Bonded By Blood, called Let There Be Blood. All very perplexing, and that re-recorded album is completely unnecessary. Rob’s vocals never reached the height they were on SHKM, and with each album, his power and style, for me, were just not there, and in some spots, I found his vocals to be irritating. Then Dukes is given the boot, and Zetro is back, and I saw them live on the comeback album with Zetro, Blood In, Blood Out, from 2014.

Simply put, there is no comparison between Zetro live and Dukes. Zetro blows him away in stage presence and crowd interaction. In 2021, the band followed it up with another brutal scorcher Persona Non Grata. What a heavy album that was and still is. Then Zetro is out, and Gary stated he does not like change and did not wanna have vocal try-outs, and back in is Rob Dukes. JFC!!! The comparisons and back and forth now have almost reached the heights of who is the better Cannibal Corpse singer, Barnes or Corpsegrinder.

At this point, I know Exodus had a bunch of shows lined up and knew well in advance of their Canadian tour with Megadeth and Anthrax, and I guess Gary just wanted to go back to his friend Dukes, who was familiar with the past material. Whatever the case may be, I think maybe the band should have attempted to work things out with Zetro or had vocal tryouts. Going back to the well with Dukes is a mixed bag on this album, and the music has taken a bit of a turn as well….all items I will get to, and they are not good!

10 songs in 54 minutes, and some of the songs could have still been streamlined or done away with altogether. The first single released was “3111”. Smart choice. A phenomenal opening song, and it is brutal and fast. The tempo is similar to the fast songs on SHKM. Dukes sounds awesome on this song. Very aggressive and angry. Still emulating Zetro, because that’s what Holt wants. The production is thick and chunky with a guitar tone to melt faces worldwide. This is how you open an Exodus album, son!!. “Hostis Humani Generis” is up next, and it’s another brutal and fast scorching thrash number. Over the top guitar solos…but the vocals start to shift. In parts, Dukes sounds venomous, but he winds up taking on more of a talking vocal element, which then becomes much of what he does on the rest of the songs. It’s weird, it’s not aggressive. When he is doing these talky types of tones, it’s as if he loses his power and cannot do his thrash vocals. He sounds very similar to Zetro on the higher range parts, and Tom’s drums sound bludgeoning and chest-collapsing.

“The Changing Me” is a slow number, and the song is exceedingly commercial. Like almost radio-friendly in parts and not a very good song, which is not something that has happened on the last 2 Exodus albums – all those songs were scorchers.

“Promise You This” has a lot of those talky type of vocals, and it’s just odd. A few cool thrash moments thrown in, but again, more commercialized moments, and I am like, this is starting to sound like the band members’ ages, in terms of a thrash album, played by old people for old people. The title track has grown on me quite a lot. Did not like it when it was released as another single. It is slow, doomy, heavy, but I actually love the song now. Killer guitar melodies and the vocals are pretty good.

“Beyond the Event Horizon” is a monster with thrash, great bass lines from Jack, and groove sections with a slow moment that is pure slam. It’s got tough guy vocals, slam, and tremendous double bass drums. This must be in their live set.

“Summon of the God Unknown” is a god-awful song and should have been clipped from this album. Commercialized, and the vocals are terrible with Dukes attempting to do some crooning, as he does on a few other of the weaker songs, but here it is, 10-fold. The riffs have more of a rock n roll feel to them, and this song comes across as pandering to the alternative rock/metal masses. While I will not mention the debacle that was their Force of Habit album from decades ago, this is arguably the worst song Exodus has ever written. From the vocals, to the weak riffs, to the rockin’, rolling vibe, this song blows.

“The Dirtiest of the Dozen” ends the album and is a ripper. Great opening with the guitar soloing over the fast thrashy gallops. Then the song fully kicks into gear and has a brutal rhythm section as well. The song slows down to a groove, and Dukes lays down some good vocals. The last minute of this track is ruthless.

Goliath is a disjointed Exodus album. I had my expectations set low with Dukes returning, but I am further perplexed by the vocal tones, the crooning, the loss of power, and doing more talky type of vocals – it’s not good and makes the Exodus sound weaker. When Dukes is on, he does sound damn good to great in parts, but I am wondering how this would have sounded with either Zetro or someone else who could truly belt out the thrash vocals. The decision to add in the commercialized songs, the rock and roll vibe, in sections, and some truly weak-sounding elements is puzzling to say the least.

The album cover sucks, sorry, not sorry. This weirdo demon – ummmm goliath, with the sarlac vagina hand, is just cringe. On the flip side, the production is immense, and the sound is killer. The musicianship is great, but also misdirected. I did NOT want to write this review, for many reasons, one of which is that I have been a diehard fan since Bonded By Blood dropped in 1985, and I bought it on cassette. When the band is on fire, they smoke, and the thrashy songs sound great and are fun; however, the inclusion of all those oddball things like the vocal tones and experimentation brings this album down quite a number of notches for me. Exodus can do much better than this. Disappointing!!

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