Exodus was formed in 1979 by guitarists Kirk Hammett and Tim Agnello

Exodus was formed in 1979 by guitarists Kirk Hammett and Tim Agnello, drummer and vocalist Tom Hunting , and vocalist Keith Stewart, while they attended high school together. The band added bass guitarist Carlton Melson in 1980, and the quintet began making a name for themselves playing backyard parties and various school functions. They played mostly cover songs in the vein of 1970s hard rock and the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) acts but had also developed some of their own original songs. Stewart soon left the band and Hunting became the band’s sole vocalist for some time. Melson was replaced in 1981 by bass guitarist Jeff Andrews. Agnello would also leave the group which left Exodus to perform as a power trio until a replacement guitarist was found in Hammett’s friend and Exodus roadie Gary Holt .