If there's anything that three decades spent in the wild and wooly world of heavy fucking metal has taught Exodus singer Steve "Zetro" Souza, it's to never say never. After being not-so-amicably dismissed from the band for the second time back in 2004, it looked for all the world as if the thrash-metal progenitors were charting a new course away from the man who sang "Toxic Waltz."
As recently as last year, odds didn't look good that Souza would ever get a crack at the big stage at House of Blues in Houston.
"I probably wouldn't have put any money on it," the singer says.
He should've. To the surprise of practically everyone, Exodus parted ways with their front man of the last ten years, Rob Dukes, on the eve of the release of their latest album. And the first guy they called was Zetro.
"Their management got in touch with me saying they were interesting in hearing what I sounded like singing a couple of new songs," Souza says. "They didn't give a reason why, so, of course it's human nature, you're going to speculate everything in the world. Maybe a tour, maybe they want me on a couple songs, maybe they want me to return. I had no idea."
The answer, as it turned out, was all of the above. In the blink of an eye, Exodus was reunited for a third go-round with the singer who fronted the band during its '80s heyday, when they made their name alongside Metallica as the leaders of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal.
More cynical fans saw the move as a transparent effort to cash in on '80s nostalgia, and there was no shortage of them to go around. But when the aptly titled Blood In, Blood Out album dropped last October, the critics mostly fell silent.
That's because Blood In, Blood Out was quite possibly the thrash album of the year. There's no going back to 1985 again, but Exodus' feisty new music slays right alongside their best -- all whipping snare cracks and sharp, chugging leads. Pumping out heavy metal this pointed after 30 years requires real passion, and no one sounds more passionate on the record than Zetro.
His theatrical Bon Scott wail has always sounded right for nasty, hard-edged thrash, but on there's no question that on the new record he sounds like a man 200 percent ready to get his gig back. It can't be the most comfortable thing in the world to record an album written with another singer in mind, but his performance is as tough as nails.
Souza says he was all-in on his third act in Exodus as soon as he heard the new material.
"I couldn't wait, it was so good!" he gushes, with obvious enthusiasm. "I thought, 'This is the best Exodus ever!' I truly felt that. And I still do! I think every song is very strong."
Souza's not just blowing smoke. Like many of their fellow thrash innovators such as Slayer and Overkill who fell on hard times in Kurt Cobain's '90s, Exodus has re-emerged in the 21st century with something to prove. Modern studio production has rendered each hyper-speed riff with a vicious, mosh-ready clarity.
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