Exodus’ Gary Holt Opens Up About Whether He’d Have Taken Kirk Hammett’s Spot In Metallica

In a recent conversation on “The David Ellefson Show,” Exodus guitarist Gary Holt shared his perspective on the pivotal moment when his former bandmate, Kirk Hammett, departed to join Metallica 42 years ago. Reflecting on the transition, Holt stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Yeah, it’s a whole incestuous relationship, for sure. Kirk’s in Exodus, Kirk joins Metallica. I’m friends with both, and there’s a lot of sniping and stuff, and a lot of bad bl*od. But I stayed out of that. But, yeah, it kind of put me in the driver’s seat [when it came to Exodus]. I was starting to write a lot of riffs. When I joined [Exodus], Kirk wrote everything. And at the time when he left, I was happy for him.”

When questioned about whether he would have accepted an offer to join Metallica himself, Holt admitted: “Probably not. ‘Cause at that time in my life, change was scary to me. I was always happy where I was comfortable. I would’ve probably said no. At the time, [before they recorded] Kill ‘Em All… If you joined, you were joining a great band, but you were joining a band that [was about to] put out an independent album and were playing clubs. You didn’t know they were gonna be [what they eventually became]. If I had been asked and knew now in the future of what they’d become, I would’ve traveled back in time and kicked my own a*s to take that job.”

Holt also dismissed any notion of approaching former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine to fill the void left by Hammett, saying: “No, no. It was, like, ‘Congratulations, Kirk. I love you, bro. And thanks for getting me started on this journey and teaching me my first licks and chords. And now it’s my band. Let’s go.'”

Year ago, in an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Holt told about the origins of his relationship with Hammett, emphasizing the formative role the Metallica guitarist played in his musical journey. Growing up a mere hundred yards from Hammett, Holt‘s connection with him solidified through Exodus drummer Tom Hunting. “We became immediate friends,” Holt recalled. “One day, he just said, ‘Want to learn to play guitar?’ And I said, ‘Yeah’, because I always wanted to…” He further elaborated on Hammett‘s early mentorship: “Six months later, I was in Exodus. So yeah, I owe it all to Kirk [laughs]. The first song he taught me was some Rolling Stone song; for some reason I can’t remember what it was — maybe ‘Wild Horses‘, something like that.”

Looking back at the nascent Bay Area thrash scene, Holt noted its humble beginnings in “the Richmond, San Pablo, California backyard party scene.” It was within this environment that Exodus began to forge their identity, initially through playing Iron Maiden covers. Amusingly, Holt explained: “Everybody thought they were originals, because no one had heard Iron Maiden. A friend of ours bought it in an import section, completely based on the artwork. So, we were thoroughly exposed to what none of our friends were.” These early days were characterized by raw energy and youthful exuberance, with Holt reminiscing about “hall parties” fueled by cheap drinks and loud music.

Ultimately, while Kirk Hammett‘s departure marked a significant shift for Exodus, it paved the way for Gary Holt to step into a leading role, solidifying his long tenure with the band that continues to this day.