Out of all bands that reunited around the Thrash of the Titans charity concert, Exodus is arguably the one that got the most enduring career and the most consistent set of releases out of it. However, Exodus’ twenty-first century sound is so clearly defined that they were at risk of getting a bit too comfortable with their own style at times, which is undesirable for an urgency-driven style like thrash metal. ‘Goliath’, on the other hand, is easily Exodus’ most diverse album thus far. It should be aggressive enough to please their audience, but also varied enough to justify its fifty-four-minute runtime.

Despite that variation, the overall tempo on ‘Goliath’ is notably higher than on its two predecessors, and that is a welcome development. While guitarist Gary Holt is good at writing memorable mid-tempo thrashers, Exodus albums that feature too many of them tend to drag just past the midway point. ‘Goliath’ certainly doesn’t suffer that fate. It’s not like the album is full of ripping double-time thrashers, but it’s very dynamic both in tempos and intensity, creating a remarkably pleasant flow. Exodus are working as songwriters rather than just riffwriters here, and that benefits the overall listening experience of ‘Goliath’ considerably.

The singles that have been released so far don’t exactly represent ‘Goliath’ all that well, but to be fair, finding songs that do is quite the challenge with an album this diverse. The title track certainly is one of the highlights of the album, and it’s probably the song that finds Exodus at their most doomy and twisted yet. Exodus with a violinist sounds like an unconventional combination, but Katie Jacoby doesn’t exactly make the song sound less evil. ‘3111’ is more Exodus by the numbers, and not the perfect opener, though it is their strongest opener since ‘The Ballad of Leonard and Charles’ sixteen years ago.

Highlighting the album is the surprisingly dramatic ‘The Changing Me’, which moves from a hyper-melodic harmony intro into a typical Exodus verse and an uncommonly theatrical chorus featuring guest vocals by Peter Tägtgren. Great guitar solo too. Other stand-out tracks include the typical Gary Holt riff-fest ‘Hostis Humani Generis’, the more traditional Bay Area thrash metal of the highly dynamic ‘Beyond the Event Horizon’ and the steamroller ‘Promise You This’, which has a surprisingly rock-ish chorus and more fantastic guitar solos. ‘Summon of the God Unknown’ is an epic monster that keeps building and feels considerably shorter than its eight minutes.

While thrash purists may disagree, there is an argument to be made for ‘Goliath’ being the best Exodus album since their 2002 comeback ‘Tempo of the Damned’. It shares many strengths with 2010’s ‘Exhibit B: The Human Condition’, but it has the massive benefit of not outstaying its welcome by being twenty minutes shorter. Also, returning singer Rob Dukes delivers what may just be his best recorded vocal performance to date, while Holt and Lee Altus are absolutely on fire on guitars. Approach ‘Goliath’ with an open mind, and you will get a very rewarding experience out of it.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Changing Me’, ‘Beyond the Event Horizon’, ‘Promise You This’