Exodus guitarist Gary Holt recently spoke about singer Steve “Zetro” Souza’s departure and the choice to bring Rob Dukes back into the lineup. In a new interview with The Dan Chan Show, Holt praised the reunion and revealed that the thrash legends are currently working on an ambitious project involving 19 new songs intended for two separate albums.
Speaking on having Dukes back in the band, Holt was enthusiastic. “It’s totally awesome. We’re laughing all day long. It’s good times,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). He had high praise for Dukes‘s contributions to the new material, stating, “And Rob‘s one of my favorite singers in the world. And when people hear what he does on the [upcoming Exodus] album, they’re gonna s**t their pants. [There’s] so much variety to his voice now.”
Holt also addressed the split with Souza, describing it as amicable. “We wish Zetro well,” he said. “Every band relationship is like a marriage, and sometimes marriages end and they don’t always end in a acrimonious divorce… I’m 61 years old. I don’t wanna do this anymore unless everybody’s on the same page.”
The veteran guitarist revealed that the band has been incredibly productive, tracking a wealth of new music. “19 songs. And they’re all killer,” Holt declared. He credited fellow guitarist Lee Altus as being “really active as a songwriter on this album,” contributing around six songs to the massive collection. The plan, Holt explained, is to “tour for the next album and then take a break in between releases and have it already in the can.”
While some vocals still need to be completed, Holt described the new material as having a “big variety,” with some songs being “so lightning fast and some of it’s almost doom — like, slow, slow, slow, [but] über fucking sinister.”
As a songwriter, Holt said he is now motivated by his own legacy. “You get 61 years old and you start thinking about stupid s**t, like, if anything happens to me, I’d like to be like Prince and have a vault of material to release,” he mused. This drive led to some intense new music, including one track written in the final weeks of recording that gave drummer Tom Hunting a scare. “I sent it to Tom… and he had a panic attack when he heard how fast it was,” Holt laughed. “And then when we [recorded it], he realized it was fine.”
