GARY HOLT Says He Took EXODUS In A 'More Violent Direction' Following KIRK HAMMETT's Departure

A behind-the-scenes clip from EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt's recent appearance on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" can be seen below.

On EXODUS's 1985 debut album, "Bonded By Blood":

"That album was recorded in a haze of alcohol and fistfights with our friends who showed up to the studio and [got in] drunken brawls. It was exactly the way it should have been recorded.

"We were just kids making the kind of music that we wanted to hear that no one else was doing. And thirty years later, it's heralded as this landmark thrash album. I never thought it would be that. We were just having fun doing what we wanna do. At that time, it was almost as much a hobby as anything."

On how guitarist Kirk Hammett's departure from EXODUS to join METALLICA affected him:

"When Kirk left, it was kind of like he had handed the keys to the car to me. 'Cause then I was starting to write a lot more stuff. But when I joined, Kirk taught me how to play guitar. I was a roadie. You can't call it a guitar technician, 'cause all I did was carry an amp and get drunk. So I kind of made it my baby. And I was able to take the band in a more violent direction. And we were happy for him [that he joined METALLICA]. At the same time, I was happy to be behind the wheel, like, one hundred percent, full time."

On the different eras of EXODUS:

"When I look back at all the different EXODUS eras, obviously the [Paul] Baloff era, that's the one that is most and dear to my heart. [He was] my brother. We created this thing — thrash metal — along with some other bands… together. And I miss him every day. Then we achieved a good deal of success with Zetro [Steve Souza] — we did quite well — and then things fell apart.

"One of the things I am most happy that I ever did was reunte with Baloff in '97, 'cause it gave me a chance to revisit that with him. And the era with Rob [Dukes] was some of the most brutal, over-the-top stuff we've ever done. I mean, I'm really proud of it, 'cause I think we achieved that status as the heaviest band in the world during that era, and the shows reflected it. And now Steve's back, and I think we've got a good blend of everything — the old, the modern, the modern-slash-old, whatever you wanna call it, and I'm super happy. And it's all EXODUS, front to back."