EXODUS Guitarist: 'The New Album Is A Genre-Defining Moment For Us And Thrash In General'

Gary Singh of MetroActive.com recently conducted an interview with EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On whether EXODUS' first album, "Bonded by Blood", will be in a car commercial someday:

"Hell, 'Deathamphetamine' from our last album was used in a K&N air filters commercial, so we're halfway there. But the next [album] is as sick and dark as anything done before, and we'll continue doing just that as long as I'm enjoying myself."

On EXODUS going through a new rebirth:

"Look at our last two records. They are amazing slabs of metal, and when you hear the new one, you'll realize that very few bands are able to put out back-to-back to back releases with the fire and intensity of ours. The new album is a genre-defining moment for us and thrash in general, and we as a band feel more inspired and motivated than any time before."

On EXODUS' early live shows:

"Everyone had a good time, even if they were bleeding.

"It's really hard to explain what it was like to people who weren't there. There was a sense of community going on, everybody supported each other and went to each other's shows, when we weren't playing together, that is. It was pretty nuts though. You had [Paul] Baloff and myself tormenting the poseurs; general mayhem was the norm, especially at EXODUS shows. It was pretty much a well-known fact that our shows were the most violent you could find anywhere."

"ANTHRAX played after us at the Kabuki theater and they were heckled — something awful. And this is ANTHRAX, not some glam band. But it felt pretty damn great to know you were creating something new."

On touring Europe and plaing small clubs in the U.S.:

"Let's be real. In the States we have to play smaller clubs out of necessity. Bigger markets mean bigger venues, but as long as we have a sweaty packed house, all's well in the world. Turkey was insane, and we've been to a lot of places over the last year or so that we've never been to, like Bangkok, and those shows were amazing. But we haven't played San Jose in a long time, since the old Cactus Club, I think, so this [upcoming show on August 10] should be nuts."