During a recent episode of the “Rock And Roll Geek Show” podcast, hosted by former Exodus bassist Michael Butler, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt discussed the departure of singer Steve “Zetro“ Souza.
He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “ People ask [why we fired Zetro] — everybody wants to know because we’ve chosen not to tell anybody. All I ever tell people is, marriages don’t often work. And just ’cause you saw a married couple out in public that seemed happy, you don’t know what’s going on at home. I don’t know if the wife’s throwing frying pans at his head or he’s fu***ng drunk out of his a*s, fu***ng screaming at him and slapping the kids. You don’t know. Just ’cause they go out in public and they put on a happy face.
“We’ve got nothing but respect for Zetro, and we’ve got love [for him] and I’m honored to have made some great music [with him]. But I’m also 60 years old, and the five of us need to be on the same page. And now we are.”
During the conversation, Butler noted that musicians often have different personalities and that conflicts can arise. Holt clarified: “It’s not even a matter of [anything] like that because we all get on each other’s nerves. It’s just as you get older, this job, either you still love it or it becomes incredibly difficult… For me, [it’s] fu***ng not [difficult] at all. And so, for whatever our reasons, four guys had a reason to do what we did.”
When asked if he personally informed Zetro about his dismissal, Holt responded: “I don’t really wanna go into all that. [Laughs] There’s no hate involved. It’s just the fu***ng marriage didn’t work. Sometimes you get along with your ex. Sometimes you don’t hate your ex; you just can’t be married to them anymore… Sometimes the wife still likes him and he’s a good father, but God, what a fu***ng crappy husband. Or what a bad life. But she was good with the kids and she’s a member of the PTA. Who fu***ng knows?”
“What’s funny is online people are coming up with their conspiracy theories [about why Zetro was fired],” he continued. “It’s like Pizzagate. It’s fu***ng crazy. Like that it had something to do with that he just got married. Like, ‘Rob Dukes got married right when he got fired, and Zetro got married [before he got fired]. Hmm. Pattern?’ Dude, I’ve got grandkids. Like I fu***ng have a problem with my singer being married.”
“People are dumb,” Holt added. “And I don’t like to be mean to people. I’ve done stupid sh*t myself. But people fu***ng create whatever theories they can come up with in their little brains.”
Souza became a member of Exodus in 1986 after previously serving as the frontman for Legacy, the band that later became Testament. He stayed with Exodus until their hiatus in 1993 but returned for a brief period from 2002 to 2004. Following Souza‘s departure, Dukes joined the band in 2005 and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.
On January 15 2025, Exodus announced that Rob Dukes would be replacing Souza, sharing the following statement on their social media:
“Exodus have parted ways with Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza. We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all the killer music we made during that time. We wish him only the best in the future and much success with anything he does.
“And please help us welcome Rob Dukes back to Exodus! We are beyond stoked to have Rob back ripping up the stage with us and he’s looking forward to crushing everything like only he can.
“Next chapter begins, new record rolls along as planned and the beatings will continue.”
When asked about the decision to bring singer Rob Dukes back to Exodus, Gary explained: “I’m 60 years old. The idea of getting an unfamiliar person in the band would not be an option… I think we all reached out when we became apparent. And sure, I could have found some 30-year-old dude who could still jump off a drum riser and has washboard abs and is not all fat like the rest of us. But I need someone who’s close to my own age. I’m too old to have to like fu***ng educate some young kid on music that I like.”
Dukes became a member of Exodus in January 2005 and contributed to four of their studio albums: Shovel Headed Kill Machine (2005), The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A (2007), Let There Be Blood (2008—a re-recording of their 1985 classic Bonded By Blood), and Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010).
You can watch the episode of “Rock And Roll Geek Show” podcast down below.
