Bay Area thrash kings EXODUS have set an October 14 release date for their new album, Blood In, Blood Out, which will be released via Nuclear Blast. The cover art was handled by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, known worldwide for his incredible renderings that have graced the covers of countless heavy metal albums, including EXODUS’ Let There Be Blood.
The concept for the art was impressively envisaged by Olofsson based on the album title alone, as guitarist Gary Holt explains: “The concept came from Pär Olofsson. I fed him the title and he immediately came up with the final concept, and it’s perfect! One of my favorite covers we’ve ever done and it fits the title and theme to a T!”
Blood In, Blood Out will be EXODUS’ first since the departure of the band’s lead singer of the past nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.
As reported by Rolling Stone magazine, METALLICA lead guitarist Kirk Hammett will provide a guest solo to the song “Salt in the Wound.
“It felt really casual, really cool — just like it did back in 1980 when we were all just hanging out back in the day,” Hammett said. “Me, recording a solo on their album was a huge thing for me. Other than the EXODUS demo that’s been heard by a lot of people, it’s the only time I ever recorded with EXODUS. It was a huge thing for me.”
He added: “I play a pretty cool solo, and then Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] comes in and plays another solo, and you know what? I listened to that and thought, ‘Wow, it’s 1982 all over again and here we are, Gary and I are trying to cut each other’s heads off with our guitar solos.’ Nothing has changed much in the last 30 years. I love it. I love those guys. I’ve only known them for most of my life, so I’m really happy that I finally got to record with them.”
Hammett was a member of EXODUS’ original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group.
