The Exploited

The Exploited

The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan. Terry Buchan is soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan, who remains the band’s singer and leader through many lineup changes. The group signs to Secret Records in March 1981.

Early releases and style

The Exploited release their debut EP, Army Life, and their debut album, Punks Not Dead, in 1981. They begin as a street punk band and later move towards crossover thrash, especially with the release of Death Before Dishonour in 1987. Their music is associated with punk, hardcore punk, punk rock, street punk and hardcore.

Following and influence

The band builds a large cult following in the 1980s among a hardcore working-class punk and skinhead audience. Their songs are later covered by Slayer and Ice-T.

Later albums

The Exploited continue to perform live and release a series of studio albums: Troops of Tomorrow in 1982, Let's Start a War... in 1983, Horror Epics in 1985, The Massacre in 1990, Beat the Bastards in 1996 and Fuck the System in 2002. Fuck the System is their last studio album.