When looking at the plethora of thrash metal bands that arose out of the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1980s, it's easy to get confused with all the groups and decipher which band is actually the best. Of course, Metallica was the group that rose to fame, broke big, sold out then got lame; but the band Exodus (that formed in 1980 with future Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett) managed to stay true to its original sonic ethos, remain slightly underground and earn its stripes as one of the most influential and pioneering thrash metal acts ever. Though the band has experienced a number of line up changes over its nearly three decade existence, the group still tours and with year upon year of unrelenting touring Exodus has become one of the best hard rock concerts a metal head can brag about seeing.
