EXODUS's TOM HUNTING On Making Of 'Goliath' Album: 'It Was An Explosion Of Being Creative'

In a new interview with Metal Kaoz, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting discussed the band's twelfth studio album, "Goliath", which came out on March 20 via Napalm Records. Speaking about the recording process for the follow-up to 2021's "Persona Non Grata", Tom said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

Asked how it felt, on a personal level, to go back in the studio to record new music, Tom said: "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."

On the topic of the songwriting process for "Goliath", Tom said: "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 fucking winning, dude. We're lucky people to have this journey, so we understand that."

Regarding why "Goliath" ended up being EXODUS's most collaborative album to date, Tom said: "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."

Hunting also talked about the return of EXODUS singer Rob Dukes, who replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza in January 2025. Tom said: "[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."

In December EXODUS filmed music videos for three songs from "Goliath", including "3111". The clips were helmed by Jim Louvau, a musical and visual creative artist based in Phoenix, Arizona, who previously worked on EXODUS's music video for the song "The Fires Of Division" from the band's 2021 LP "Persona Non Grata".

"Goliath" marks the first time in nearly three decades that an EXODUS album hasn't been mixed by Andy Sneap, who has acted as JUDAS PRIEST's producer and touring guitarist for eight years.

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which later became TESTAMENT). He remained in the band until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes had joined EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5, 2025 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the aforementioned "Bonded By Blood" LP inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.