Persona Non Grata (Exodus album)

Persona Non Grata
Studio album by
Exodus
ReleasedNovember 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)
RecordedSeptember[1] – October 2020[2]
StudioTom Hunting's three home studios in Lake Almanor, California[3]
GenreThrash metal
Length60:18
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerExodus[4]
Exodus chronology
Blood In, Blood Out
(2014) 		Persona Non Grata
(2021)
Singles from Persona Non Grata
  1. "The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)"
    Released: August 20, 2021[4]
  2. "Clickbait"
    Released: September 17, 2021[5]
  3. "The Years of Death and Dying"
    Released: October 15, 2021[6]
  4. "Prescribing Horror"
    Released: November 19, 2021[7]

Persona Non Grata is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus, released on November 19, 2021.[4] It is their first studio album since Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, and their second to feature vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza since he returned to the band that same year. This album also features guest appearances from former Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt and guitarist Lee Altus' bandmate in Heathen, Kragen Lum, who both provide guitar solos on one of the album's tracks, "Lunatic-Liar-Lord".[8] This is the band's final album to be released through Nuclear Blast, with whom the band signed in 2003.

Plans for the follow-up to Blood In, Blood Out were made as early as 2016,[9] and work on the album had been slowed down by relentless tour schedules and guitarist Gary Holt's commitments with Slayer, until the latter disbanded in 2019 following a farewell tour; as such, it is the first Exodus studio album to be released since Slayer's disbandment.[10] The recording sessions of Persona Non Grata took place from September to October of 2020,[1][2] with the album being fully completed in January 2021.[11] The album was initially set for release in the summer of 2021,[12] but it was pushed back to November, due to drummer Tom Hunting's diagnosis with squamous cell carcinoma of the stomach.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b "Exodus To Enter Studio In September". Blabbermouth.net. June 18, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The Razor's Edge: Interview with Zetro of Exodus" – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Exodus Drummer Tom Hunting on Studio Recordings For New Album – "I Was Stapling Pieces of Fabric to the Ceiling to Try and Get Those Sound Waves Right for the Cymbals Crashing"; Audio". bravewords.com. October 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Exodus: 'Persona Non Grata' Album Details Revealed; 'The Beatings Will Continue' Single Now Available". Blabbermouth.net. August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Exodus Releases Lyric Video For New Song 'Clickbait'". Blabbermouth.net. September 17, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "Exodus Releases Lyric Video For New Song 'The Years Of Death And Dying'". Blabbermouth.net. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Exodus Drops Lyric Video For New Song 'Prescribing Horror'". Blabbermouth.net. November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Show #614 - Gary Holt (Exodus)". November 4, 2021 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "Steve 'Zetro' Souza Says Next Exodus Album Could Arrive In Late 2017". Blabbermouth.net. June 14, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  10. ^ "Gary Holt: "I had one job in Slayer and one job only. Go out, play killer, bang your head and play a little bit of a guitar hero role. I wear a lot more hats in Exodus"". 12 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Zetro's Toxic Vault - Everything Exodus - Live Stream 8/25/21". YouTube.com. August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  12. ^ "Exodus: New Album Title Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. November 19, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Exodus Drummer Tom Hunting Diagnosed With Squamous Cell Carcinoma". Blabbermouth.net. April 13, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Exodus Delays 'Persona Non Grata' Album Release Until November". Blabbermouth.net. April 28, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.