Exodus Essentials

Bay Area thrash stalwarts Exodus formed in ‘80 and had already gone through several lineup changes by the time their first album, Bonded by Blood, came out in '84, most notably with founding member Kirk Hammett leaving to join Metallica. While their constantly shifting roster would become a trademark, '87's Pleasures of the Flesh and '89's Fabulous Disaster were well-received, earning them a major label deal. They released two albums with Capitol before breaking up in '97. The years since have seen cycles of reunions and reshuffles, but Exodus is still alive and thrashing.