Paul Baloff (April 25, 1960-February 2, 2002) was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.
Paul was a friend of guitarist Kirk Hammett (at that time an Exodus guitarist) and was asked to join the band at a party in 1983. Kirk Hammett played on their 1982 Demo and then left the band to join Metallica. Exodus released their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the pre-production for their second album. Paul Baloff was fired from the band after recording a three song demo in 1986, accused of substance abuse.
After leaving Exodus in 1986, he sang in several bands in the San Francisco bay area, such as Heathen, Hirax and Piranha.
In 1997, when Exodus decided to reunite, Baloff was again invited to sing with the almost classic Exodus' line up (except for Rob McKillop). Baloff suffered a stroke in 2002 which left him in a coma and was taken off life support at his family's wishes. Although it appeared to outsiders that with Baloff's death Exodus would cease to exist, guitarist Gary Holt was determined to release a new studio record.
