According to 14News.com, an Exodus' fan in Greenville, Kentucky has been arrested for alleged terroristic threats for posting the lyrics to the band's song "Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)" (from the 2010 album Exhibit B: The Human Condition). Meanwhile, the band has reacted to this and says in a statement that it "does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying. That being said, the band is somewhat baffled by the fact that this man being charged for what seems against his first amendment rights of Freedom of Speech."

31-year-old James Evans was arrested for posting song lyrics on Facebook, and then released from jail Wednesday afternoon after spending eight days locked up. James Evans' family says he's very into music and often posts song lyrics and videos on Facebook, but they never imagined those innocent posts would land him in jail. Family members say Evans posted the following on Facebook on August 24th: "Student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood splattered treatise of hate. Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends in debate."

Mike Drake, the Muhlenberg County school resource officer, says multiple agencies received calls concerned about the post. Evans was arrested for terroristic threatening. The warrant says Evans was arrested because, "he threatened to kill students and or staff at school."

Evans says he can't believe what has happened and stated: "It's nonsense. I feel like my civil rights have been violated. You know first amendment freedom of speech out the window. Even all the guys I was in the cell with they thought it was nonsense themselves. I had several officials tell me it was nonsense that there was no reason why I should have even been here."

His case will be deferred for six months and he will have to undergo a mental evaluation.

Exodus guitarist Gary Holt also says: "The idea that an individual in this great country of ours could be arrested for simply posting lyrics to a song is something I never believed could happen in a free society. James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it. The song 'Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)' was written as a view through the eyes of a madman and in no way endorses that kind of fucked up behavior. It was the Virginia Tech massacre perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho that was the subject and inspiration to write the song, one in which we put the brakes on playing it live after the Sandy Hook shooting, as we did not want to seem insensitive."

Gary continues: "As some of us in Exodus are parents, of course these things hit close to home, it's every parent's worst fear. These moments are the stuff of nightmares, and life, as well as music, isn't always pretty. But when we start to overreact to things like lyrics by any band, including Exodus, and start arresting people, we are caving in to paranoia and are well on our way to becoming an Orwellian society."

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The Bay Area thrash metallers are about to release a new album in October called Blood In, Blood Out and recently announced more special guests that will appear on the record. Those include, apart from original Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett (Metallica) who contributed a solo to "Salt The Wound," music producer Dan The Automator (Gorillaz, Mike Patton, Deltron 3030) crafted the intro to the album opener "Black 13" and Testament frontman Chuck Billy lends his signature roar to the track "BTK".

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Exodus