Exodus - Persona Non Grata
Updated: 3 days ago
"Persona Non Grata", the 12th studio album by American thrash metal band "Exodus", was released on November 19, 2021, through Nuclear Blast. It is the band's last album on the label, to which they had been signed since 2003, and their last with vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza, who left the band again in 2025.
This is their first studio album since 2014 "Blood In, Blood Out" which included a guest appearance by founding guitarist Kirk Hammett, and their second with vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza since returning to the band that year.
Work on the album began back in 2016 right at the end of the tour to promote the album "Blood In, Blood Out", but the writing and recordings were delayed due to schedule issues and the commitments of guitarist Gary Holt who joined "Slayer". Following the "Slayer" farewell tour and dissolution in 2019, Holt was able to resume the intensive work. The recordings took place in September-October 2020 at Hunting's home studios in Lake Almanor, California, the album was fully completed in January 2021, and the mix was done by Andy Sneap.
The album was supposed to be released in the summer of 2021, but its release was postponed to November following drummer Tom Hunting's diagnosis with stomach cancer, as well as vinyl manufacturing delays caused by the pandemic.
It is interesting to note that the album also includes guest appearances by the band's former guitarist Rick Hunolt and by Kragen Lum of "Heathen" in the guitar solos on the song "Lunatic-Liar-Lord" as well as a guest appearance by singer Chuck Billy on the theme song. Four singles were released from the album: "The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)", "Clickbait", "The Years of Death and Dying" and "Prescribing Horror". The album won a Metal Storm Award in the thrash metal album of the year category and was included in Loudwire's list of the best rock and metal albums of 2021.
The album received very positive reviews: Metal Injection, Metal.de, Ghost Cult and Sonic Perspectives gave it 9 out of 10, Blabbermouth 7 out of 10 and Kerrang! 3 out of 5. Wall of Sound's reviewer noted how hooky the album is, from the riffs to the choruses, and that Andy Sneap's mix is sharp and contemporary. It reached number 24 on the German albums chart and number 33 in Austria.
The album has 12 songs running about an hour. The 7:30 title track opens it and "Antiseed" closes it, with the instrumental "Cosa Del Pantano" in between. Gary Holt wrote most of the songs, Souza wrote the lyrics to "Slipping into Madness" and "Elitist", and Tom Hunting wrote the lyrics to "The Years of Death and Dying". The band produced the album itself, and Pär Olofsson created the cover art.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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