SLAYER's GARY HOLT Wishes JEFF HANNEMAN Was Alive To Take His 'Rightful Spot Back'

On September 13, Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt and drummer Paul Bostaph in Montreal. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how he landed the SLAYER gig as the replacement for the band's late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, Gary said: "Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] called me up. I was playing on the inaugural 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, and a mutual friend of mine and Kerry's, my tattoo artist on almost everything, Bob Tyrell, was on the boat. And Kerry didn't wanna bug me while I was on the boat, so he texted Bob and said, 'Have Holt call me when he gets back to shore and gets actually at home.' I called him up and he explained what was going on with Jeff and asked if I wanted to help 'em out and fill in. And I said, 'Sure.' I had the time off at the time. I didn't realize it'd be a five-and-a-half-year endeavor riddled with tragedy in the middle of it. I thought it was just a two-tour thing and [I would] help 'em out until Jeff took his rightful spot back, but that didn't happen. And, unfortunately, I'm still here playing [with SLAYER], 'cause if I said 'fortunately,' that means I wish Jeff wasn't. I'd rather Jeff be here, 'cause this is Jeff's spot."

Gary added that he "hopes" to contribute to SLAYER's next studio album, explaining that he is "never at a loss for musical ideas; I'm lucky in that sense." He also confirmed that he is writing material for EXODUS's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" record. He said: "After this [SLAYER] tour [with ANTHRAX and DEATH ANGEL], I've got three and a half months off, so my goal is to come out of that with the next EXODUS album recorded and done for a 2017 release."

He added: "Writing riffs is easy to me. I'm not saying I'm any better than anybody else; I just like writing riffs. It's not hard. It's not rocket science. I'm doing something I really enjoy doing. It's, like, if [pro basketball player] Steph Curry can nail three-point shots all day long, I write riffs. It's easy. It's like him [shooting] a free throw; it's not hard. It's just you've gotta put in the time, and when it happens, it happens."

Gary Holt, who is still a member of San Francisco Bay Area thrash icons EXODUS, has been the touring guitarist for SLAYER since January 2011 when Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Holt did not contribute to the songwriting process on SLAYER's latest album, 2015's "Repentless", although he did lay down guitar solos on most of the album's twelve tracks.

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".