Bay-Area thrash forefathers Exodus crash the 2026 release calendar with “3111,” a savage takedown of Juarez cartel violence, and reveal Goliath—their first album in four years and Rob Dukes’ thunderous return behind the mic.
Forty-seven years after Kirk Hammett and Tom Hunting first birthed Exodus in a Richmond, California garage, the band is again proving why their logo belongs on any thrash-metal Mount Rushmore. Wednesday morning, the quintet dropped “3111,” the lead single from Goliath, their 11th studio album arriving March 20.
The track is already radioactive. YouTube age-restricted—and then quickly removed—the official video after guitarist Gary Holt previewed its cartel-execution imagery on Instagram, underscoring the song’s lyrical body count: 3,111 is the estimated number of narco-related murders in Ciudad Juarez during 2010 alone. It’s a statement as blunt as Holt’s jackhammer riffs.
Rob Dukes Reclaims the Mic on First Exodus Album Since 2022
Goliath ends the band’s longest gap between full-lengths since they reunited in 2001. It also marks the homecoming of Rob Dukes, whose sandpaper roar powered Exodus from 2005-2014. Dukes last appeared on 2010’s Exhibit B: The Human Condition; his return adds extra venom to a lineup already boasting Holt, Hunting, bassist Jack Gibson, and guitarist Lee Altus.
The announcement arrives less than 24 hours after Holt teased “something brutal coming” on social media, sending Reddit’s r/Metal and the band’s Discord into algorithm-breaking speculation. Pre-orders for vinyl, CD, and cassette configurations crashed Nuclear Blast’s U.S. store within 30 minutes.
Track List, Guests, and Why Goliath Could Be Their Most CollaborativE Record Yet
Nuclear Blast confirms ten tracks, with Holt labeling the finished product “the most collaborative slab we’ve ever cut.” Guest spots include:
- Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain) co-vocals and additional production on “The Changing Me”
- Violin virtuoso Katie Jacoby (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Starset) on the title track “Goliath”
Expect zero ballads. Song titles like “Hostis Humani Generis,” “Violence Works,” and “The Dirtiest of the Dozen” promise the break-neck tempos and socio-political bile that turned 1985’s Bonded by Blood into a thrash blueprint.
From Bay Area Clubs to Global Bloodstock—Exodus’ Unkillable Legacy
Formed two years before Metallica’s Kill ’Em All, Exodus helped architect the Bay Area thrash scene and, by extension, modern extreme metal. Eleven studio albums, one Grammy nomination (2014’s “Best Metal Performance” finalist), and countless gigabytes of live bootlegs later, the band still sells out 3,000-capacity rooms across Europe and Latin America.
Industry trackers at Blabbermouth note that Exodus’ catalog streams jumped 38% in the last 12 months, driven by TikTok discoveries of “The Toxic Waltz” and Holt’s high-profile guest appearances with Slayer on their 2019 farewell tour.
What the March 20 Release Means for Festival Season and Touring
With European festival confirmations under embargo until February 2, promoters expect Exodus to headline second-stage slots at Copenhell, Graspop, and Bloodstock—where Hunting’s 2013 performance (pictured) remains a fan-favorite memory. U.S. routing will likely piggyback on the summer festival circuit, culminating in an anticipated hometown release show at Oakland’s Fox Theater.
Ticketing platforms report placeholder dates for mid-June through early August, positioning Goliath as the soundtrack to metal’s post-pandemic resurgence.
Bottom Line—Why “3111” and Goliath Matter Right Now
Extreme metal is enjoying its biggest commercial wave since the early ’90s, with genre-adjacent acts like Ghost and Sleep Token charting in the Billboard Top 10. Exodus’ new material—simultaneously vintage and hyper-current—could push classic thrash onto mainstream playlists the same way Stranger Things resurrected Master of Puppets.
More importantly, the band’s willingness to confront real-world atrocities without sanitizing them reclaims metal’s role as protest music. “3111” isn’t nostalgia; it’s a siren blasting across borders, reminding listeners that 15-year-old murder statistics still bleed into today’s headlines.
Stay locked to onlytrustedinfo.com for immediate track-by-track breakdowns, exclusive Holt interviews, and the fastest festival confirmations as the Goliath rollout accelerates.
