Exodus Dominates Tour Opener in Montclair
Anticipation and celebration in another piece of Good Friendly Writing Fun
The intensity I feel at an Exodus beatdown is infectious. Needed. I’m someone who enjoys seeing structure through the chaos, and there’s plenty of the latter going on when the band comes to town. Blood and energy and life, my being simplified to a system powered by thrash. And it was the same deal yet again as Exodus arrived in the affluent, North Jersey town of Montclair, even if their set lasted only eight songs.
They slotted in between Biohazard and, on their final North American tour, Sepultura. First night of the trek, the setlist a mystery, but no surprise that the first cut on Goliath, Exodus’s new album, would kick it off. “3111” did a fine job of bringing us to a rapid boil, while “Bonded By Blood” is a guaranteed bet for upping the good friendly violent fun. Vocalist Rob Dukes was still unimpressed and let us know, but we Garden Staters responded during “Deathamphetamine” as the pit grew and created a sardine-like situation near the rail. Guitarist Gary Holt ripped his solos here and was his usual shredder self otherwise. Axe counterpart Lee Altus seemed to have extra pep in his step, partially, I assume, thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers advancing in the playoffs.
“Blacklist” always increases the crowd surfing—we’re talking at a rate of a body every 20 seconds in your area alone, at least at this show. Driven by the rhythm section of bassist Jack Gibson and drummer Tom Hunting, the overhead activity is pretty nuts the initial few times, but you get used to it. Frankly, you have no choice, and it’s an invigorating experience. Which continued with the title track of their latest studio effort, a sludgy, slower song that allowed us to catch our breath but soak up more heaviness, too. The trifecta of “A Lesson In Violence” and “The Toxic Waltz” and “Strike Of The Beast” polished things off with multiple punches to the kisser.
I love tour closers. Been to several of them, was just at one. Different vibe depending on the type of band, or maybe these parties are best defined by type of setlist: Same every night vs. unique. Most people will attend but a single show of a tour in their local city, while some like me chase a group for miles outside their region hoping to hear bustouts or debuts…that might happen on the final day. Either way, it’s a celebration of what went down over the weeks, months, or years that we, as the crowd, have the pleasure of sharing in at the end.
Tour openers are another story. For musicians, I’d wager that their excitement is sometimes, or often, colored with nerves. They might trend in a more cautious direction rather than a high risk, high reward gig right out of the box. There could be stiffness from not performing live recently, perhaps a pang or three of uncertainty about the journey. But the simple word of choice for me is “anticipation,” and that has a beautiful quality. What are they going to play? What are they not going to play? And with Exodus, how much ass are they going to kick?
All this doesn’t mean a tour closer can’t be anticipatory, or that a tour opener can’t be celebratory. I could easily make a vice versa comment about which has the more introspective vs. extroverted tone. Adrenaline or relief can be associated with both, but regardless of the reflection on the past or the visualization of the future: When the show is on your home turf, sweet—if it’s Bay Area thrash in the form of Exodus, even better.
My previous Exodus show was at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Festival in early April 2025. The Fillmore in Philly for the return of Rob Dukes. Standalone date, the first of the full album Bonded By Blood 40th anniversary engagements. Ridiculously good night, memorable for obvious reasons, though this was neither a tour opener nor closer.
It’s ironic or cool or both that Montclair, this cute town in Essex County, hosts thrash shows. The Wellmont Theatre does an excellent job of booking these bands and other acts across metal, and thankfully, Exodus has been in the house on decent occasion. On this occasion, I drove the 25 minutes from work, stuck my Forester in the garage next to the venue, met up with my buddy for drinks, and then the pandemonium.
Exodus. Passion in, passion out. No matter the timeslot or for how long.
Exodus 04/29/2026 Setlist
3111, Bonded By Blood, Deathamphetamine, Blacklist, Goliath, A Lesson In Violence, The Toxic Waltz, Strike Of The Beast