But the absence of a competentproducer and a carelesslyassembledcollection ofsongs resulted in a dull, forgettable album that was doomed to commercial failure fromday one, squanderingthegroup's recent accomplishmentsand pretty much closing their window to success. Still, Exodus was on aroll, and theirmomentum led to anew contract with CapitolRecords, which immediately rushed them back into the studio with formerAnthrax drum techJohn Tempesta manningthe skins,to lay down tracks for 1990's Impact Is Imminent. The successful world tour which followed broughtanother dramatic setback, however, when drummerHunting wasdiagnosed with anirregular heartbeat which first sidelined, thenforced him to quit the band at tour's end. Incessant touringserved tostrengthenthe band's new lineup, though, and 1989's meticulously conceived FabulousDisaster was a critical triumph, bringingthe group totheir commercialpeak.
His replacement was ex-Testament singer Steve "Zetro" Souza,who arrived in timefor1987'sdisappointing Pleasures of the Flesh - an inconsistent album which did nothing to advance Exodus'cause. But the album languished unreleased for over a year due tobusinessproblems,and by the time it was finallyunveiled by Combat Records in 1985, the would-be genre benchmark already sounded datedanditsimpact was severely dulled by the quickevolution of their peers.These hardships also led to the ousting of vocalist Baloff, whose carefree, larger-than-life attitude (and often drunken behavior)made himaneasyscapegoat for his more driven bandmates. But they would soon lose their numero uno standing as well astheirguitarist Hammett to theaforementionedMetallica, who then raced ahead of all competitors in their mission to bring thrash to theworld.Wounded but undaunted,Exodusdrafted guitarist Rick Hunolt and replaced bassist Andrews with Rob McKillop before signing withTorridRecords, for whom theyrecordedtheir Bonded by Blood debut in 1984. Theirhandfulof demos recorded between1982-1984 became wildly popularon the all-important underground tape-trading circuit of the time,andsolidified the band's standing as the BayArea's first thrashchampions. aesthetic of theprolific Bay Area punk scene to create thrash metal. Formed in 1981 by singer Paul Baloff, guitarists Gary Holt andKirk Hammett, bassist GeoffAndrews,and drummer TomHunting, Exodus were heavily influenced by Motörhead and New Waveof British Heavy Metal bands like IronMaiden andRaven, whose lessonsthey combined with the raw, D.I.Y. And while they proceeded to eek out a hit-and-miss career of their own over thenext fewdecades,allthe while influencing at least two separate generations of younger thrash bands, Exodus were ultimatelyfated to be the ultimatealso-rans of thegenre they helped spawn. Once the kings of the Bay Area metal scene - one of the birthplaces of thrash - Exodus were unceremoniously demoted from theirpostwiththearrival of Los Angeles' Metallica in 1982. Formed in 1981 by singer Paul Baloff, guitarists Gary Holt andKirk Hammett, bassist GeoffAndrews,and drummer TomHunting, Exodus were heavily influenced.