Exodus

Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of 34 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt joined the band shortly after its formation and has remained the only constant member of Exodus since and appears on all their releases, although he did not tour with the band in the summer of 2012, when he filled in for Jeff Hanneman in Slayer. Drummer Tom Hunting is one of the original members, and departed from the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, but rejoined in 2007.

To date, Exodus has released ten studio albums (one of them is a re-recording of their first album), two live albums and one compilation. The band had particular success in the mid-to-late 1980s, and their first three albums (Bonded by Blood, Pleasures of the Flesh and Fabulous Disaster) cemented Exodus' reputation as one of the most successful thrash metal bands. The critical praise given to Fabulous Disaster garnered attention from major labels, including Capitol Records, with whom Exodus would eventually sign in 1989. Exodus released two more albums, Impact Is Imminent and Force of Habit, before disbanding in 1993. After a temporary return in 1997-1998, Exodus reformed for a second time in 2001, and since then they have released five more albums, the most recent being 2010's Exhibit B: The Human Condition. They are currently working on a new album, which is expected to be released in 2014. By 2007, Exodus had sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S since the beginning of the SoundScan era and over 5 million worldwide. Their best-selling albums of the Soundscan era are Fabulous Disaster, Force of Habit and Bonded by Blood, which have sold 68,000, 52,000 and 32,000 copies respectively.