Bay Area thrash legends EXODUS have landed a slot in one of television's most acclaimed spy dramas. The band's track "Blacklist," from 2004's "Tempo Of The Damned," features in a bar scene during the second episode of season two of "The Agency."
For guitarist Gary Holt, the placement is a personal thrill. "About a year ago I got an email about a show wanting some EXODUS music for an episode. That show happened to be my favorite show, 'The Agency,' so of course I said fuck yes!" Holt also noted the series stars Michael Fassbender, "who I'm told is a metalhead" and who twice planned to attend SLAYER shows during Holt's tenure with that band but never made it. "Now I get to hear shit we made on my favorite show! Season 2, episode 2! Awesome!"
All ten episodes of "The Agency" season two became available June 21 on Paramount+. The series stars two-time Academy Award nominee Fassbender alongside Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston and Richard Gere. It follows Martian (Fassbender), a CIA agent living undercover in his own life as he tries to save his imprisoned lover.
Based on the long-running French series "Le Bureau Des Légendes," "The Agency" became one of Paramount+'s biggest successes, with its first season drawing 5.1 million cross-platform viewers globally during its opening weekend.
"Tempo Of The Damned" was EXODUS's sixth studio album and marked the return of vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza. More than two decades on, the Bay Area institution continues to tour and remains one of thrash metal's most enduring and influential names.