Exodus drummer Tom Hunting has unfortunately revealed he's been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and begins his treatment today.
Hunting said he received his diagnosis in February and hopes to raise awareness about people paying attention to anything strange going on within their bodies. Fortunately, Hunting said he feels pretty good, and of course, we wish him all the best with his treatments!
"Today I will be starting treatment for a squamous cell carcinoma. It's a gastric tumor that was diagnosed in my upper stomach in February. I'm making this public to raise awareness for people to pay attention to symptoms of stomach and esophageal issues. If they persist, please go get it checked out. I'm not gonna be sheepish talking about it. I feel that if I can help someone with what I've learned, or someone out there has information to share with me, it's a win-win! When you can name the enemy, it's empowering, and you're 1 step closer to killing it!
"Ok, you've heard the bad news. The good news is he feels great physically! I'm gonna beat this like a fucking snare drum that owes me money!!! I've had great doctors and a great support system that is an army in itself. I'm ready for the fight!
"We have a lot to celebrate this year with the release of what will be a career-defining album and tours to follow! I'm stoked for everyone to hear it, and even more excited to get out there and play some of it! I will see you all very soon! CHEERS!!!"
Our thoughts are with Hunting on a quick and speedy recovery.
Exodus previously revealed to Decibel Magazine they'll be releasing their new record Persona Non Grata sometime Summer 2021. The new record will feature a killer guitar solo from ex-guitarist Rick Hunolt, and probably about 10,000 riffs courtesy of guitarist Gary Holt.
“So the title of the new record is out!" said Holt via Instagram."The next Exodus record is titled Persona Non Grata and will be our summer 2021! And I LOVE the studios name here in Decibel, ‘The garage next to Tom Hunting’a house’! Haha! Engineered by Steve Lagudi, produced by us, being mixed by Any Sneap as we speak . Early indications are this monster sounds fucking sick! Doing some spot vocal stuff tomorrow with Zetro and then tracking is DONE. Gonna be a long wait until the release of this beast.”
Exodus originally planned to hit the studio this summer, but things got a little derailed with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. As for the long gap between records, Vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza said in 2018 that Exodus wouldn't work on a new album without the full attention of Holt. Holt spent the past few years filling in live for Jeff Hanneman in Slayer. His commitment to Slayer wrapped up in 2019 after their final show.
