EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt states: “Time for our next video. This one is for ‘The Fires Of Division’ and it actually has the band in it! This video was super fun to make, as it was the first time the band had gathered together in some time!”

Last September, Holt told Canada’s The Metal Voice about the lyrical inspiration for “The Fires Of Division”: “It’s just about the sad state of affairs in the world today, the divisive nature of everything. Maybe it’s just me showing my age — I’m old enough to remember when people could have political differences and still get along. (Laughs) I guess I’m just old, right? My own band is comprised of varying different political ideologies, and we’re best friends. The world has forgotten how to do that. We’re so divided. And the powers that be want us divided. And that’s on both sides — that’s not just a hard-right or hard-left thing. They’re doing everything they can to pit everybody against each other. I think the media and the politicians all have a hand in it — the media, all of them; the politicians as well. Because the game they’re all playing now is they don’t think they have to earn voters to get elected; just keep the ones you’ve got and be as vile and bad as you want. And the right will portray the left as a bunch of snowflake liberals, and the left will portray the right as a bunch of inbred fucking dummies. But we’re all Americans here. And the sooner we remember that, the sooner we can start to heal. But I wrote that song while staring down the fucking Capitol riots and shit.

“I look at it like this: it’s the same thing with religion,” he continued. “Everybody pretty much knows I’m an atheist and I’m not a believer, but if I fucking wrote off all those that were, I wouldn’t have a family. Most of my family believes in Jesus fucking Christ. And I’m not gonna part ways with them because we share a different religious idealogy. And I won’t over a political either. Some of my best friends are completely different than me, and that’s okay. It’s not a bad thing. I don’t look at them as fucking lesser people because we don’t agree on something. And a lot of time, if you take the time to discuss shit like fucking humans, you’ll find that you actually can find middle ground on a lot of things.”

“Persona Non Grata” was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band’s history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

“Persona Non Grata” is the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of the group’s lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

In July, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting underwent a successful total gastrectomy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. He rejoined his bandmates on stage in October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band’s albums “Impact Is Imminent” (1990) and “Force Of Habit” (1992).

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom‘s former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

EXODUS have released their acclaimed new studio album, ‘Persona Non Grata,’ in November 2021 and are eager to play a few of these brand new songs and a selection of classics live for their European fans.

Don’t forget to buy your copy of PERSONA NON GRATA here:
https://exodusattack.com/site/persona-non-grata

Or Listen To PERSONA NON GRATA On A Digital Service:
https://exodus.bfan.link/persona-non-grata

“Persona Non Grata” Tracklist

01. Persona Non Grata
02. R.E.M.F
03. Slipping Into Madness
04. Elitist
05. Prescribing Horror
06. The Beatings Will Continue
(Until Morale Improves)
07. The Years Of Death And Dying
08. Clickbait
09. Cosa Del Pantano
10. Lunatic-Liar-Lord
11. The Fires Of Division
12. Antiseed

‘PERSONA NON GRATA’ EUROPEAN TOUR 2022
09. Juli 2022 Germany Ballenstedt ROCKHARZ Open Air 2022
10. Juli 2022 Czech Republic Vizovice Masters of Rock
11. Juli 2022 Poland Krakow Studio
12. Juli 2022 Slovakia Bratislava Refinery Gallery
13. Juli 2022 Germany Berlin Hole 44
14. Juli 2022 Sweden Gavle Gefle Metal Festival
16. Juli 2022 Austria Leoben AREA 53 Open Air 2022
17. Juli 2022 Italy Cremona Luppolo Rock
19. Juli 2022 Italy Roma Rock in Roma
20. Juli 2022 Switzerland Zurich Dynamo
21. Juli 2022 Germany Fritzlar Rock am Stück
22. Juli 2022 Germany Wiesbaden Schlachthof
23. Juli 2022 Germany Hamburg Knust
24. Juli 2022 Germany Essen Turock
25. Juli 2022 Germany Aachen Musikbunker
26. Juli 2022 Germany Karlsruhe Jubez
29. Juli 2022 Portugal Vagos Vagos Metal Fest
30. Juli 2022 Spain Burgos Anden 56
31. Juli 2022 Spain Pamplona Totem
02. Aug 2022 Spain València Rock City (Valencia)
03. Aug 2022 Spain Malaga Paris 15
04. Aug 2022 Spain Villena Leyendas del Rock
05. Aug 2022 Spain Madrid Riviera
06. Aug 2022 Spain Barcelona Razzmatazz
07. Aug 2022 France Saint Maurice de Gourdans Sylak Open Air
09. Aug 2022 France Bordeaux Rocher de Palmer
12. Aug 2022 United Kingdom Walton-on-Trent Bloodstock Open Air
13. Aug 2022 Belgium Courtrai Alcatraz Festival
14. Aug 2022 Germany Saarbrücken Garage
16. Aug 2022 Austria Innsbruck Music Hall
17. Aug 2022 Germany Dinkelsbühl Summer Breeze Open Air
18. Aug 2022 Germany Cham LA
19. Aug 2022 Germany Sulingen Reload Festival
20. Aug 2022 Netherlands Eindhoven Dynamo Metalfest
21. Aug 2022 France SAINT NOLFF MOTOCULTOR