Exodus thrashes in Salt Lake City Monday

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The Bay Area metal band Exodus — formed in 1980 and once featuring Kirk Hammett before he graduated to Metallica — is still kicking literally and figuratively.

Drummer Tom Hunting is one of the founding members, and although he left the band twice, in 1989 and 2004, he rejoined in 2007 and is happy to be back.

"I've always missed the fans," he said of his absences. "Mostly, I miss my brothers in the band. I'm not in it to be a star."

The band's most recent album is 2010's "Exhibit B: The Human Condition," and the band is now in the "riff-writing process" for the next one.

"It's like building a sandwich," Hunting, 47, said. "The drums are the bread, and the riffs are the meat."

One thing that won't be on the forthcoming album is a ballad. "It's not in our DNA to write ballads," he said.

But no matter how they evolve, Hunting remains proud of what Exodus has accomplished, especially back in the 1980s when metal was ignored by many.

"We're part of something that's special and something we pioneered."

When • Monday, 7 p.m.Where • In The Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake CityTickets • $16 in advance, $18 day of, at SmithsTix