EXODUS Singer: 'It Would Be A Sacrilege To Write Or Record A Record Without GARY HOLT'

Metalshop TV conducted an interview with vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS in August 2016 at the Brutal Assault festival in Josefov, Czech Republic. You can now watch the chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what has changed the most about the music industry since EXODUS first started:

Zetro: "Well, everything has changed the most — social media, everything. Before, we used to tape-trade. Now you can see your favorite band on your telephone; if you have WiFi, you're fine. So a lot of things have changed. But I don't think metal fans have changed. They still love their metal hard and heavy. And even though there are great new bands, like ANIMALS AS LEADERS and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, that have come after the fact… Metal has to stay fresh to survive, or it will die. So that's why it's great to see new bands like that. But as long as the older bands are still putting out great music… I love the new ANTHRAX. I think 'Dystopia' from MEGADETH is really good. The new DEATH ANGEL is really heavy too. So I think the old-school bands that have been around as long as we have are still producing good music. [EXODUS's] 'Blood In Blood Out' is a good album. 'Cause I wrote songs on 'Brotherhood Of The Snake', the new TESTAMENT [album]… It's TESTAMENT; you're gonna listen to it and love it. It's TESTAMENT. It's what you love about TESTAMENT. I think as long as the older-school bands are still putting out quality stuff… Heavy will never get old."

On whether EXODUS's next studio album will feature guitarist Gary Holt, who has been touring with SLAYER:

Zetro: "We actually have decided that, come after the first of the year… He's not working… As far as we know now, he's not working with SLAYER, and we are going to get together and start writing a new album. We know we have to. He isEXODUS. We wouldn't do it without him. It would be a sacrilege to write or record a record without Gary Holt. It's just ironic that SLAYER's and EXODUS's tour cycles ran simultaneous. They put a record out nine months after we did. And bands like ours, we go three, four years off of that, you know what I mean? We know that 'Blood In Blood Out' was out end of October in 2014, and it's time for us to get back in the studio and write new EXODUS songs."

On when fans can expect to see the next EXODUS album:

Zetro: "You can't promise anything with music. And, again, our main member is playing in another very, very legendary, credible band, and we love the fact that he does that. So I can't push him into… But the discussion between the four of us, and he knows it as well, and our management, and our agents, and the people that work with us all know that we need to get another record going. It's time. It's time to do so, and we're aware of that."

When Holt is unable to take part in EXODUS touring activities due to his commitments with SLAYER, he is being replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Kragen Lum.

EXODUS recently completed the colossal "Battle Of The Bays" European tour, alongside famed Florida death metal squad OBITUARY. Support came from influential groove crossover metallers PRONG and Australian wrecking machine KING PARROT.

"Blood In Blood Out" was the band's first effort since the departure of EXODUS's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted the group from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.