Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza Says He Will Never Play With Exodus: ‘I Have No Desire To Do That Ever Again’

Following his recent departure from Exodus, Steve “Zetro” Souza has stated that he “definitely” has “no desire” to perform with the band again.

Souza elaborated on this latest split during an episode of his YouTube series, Zetro’s Toxic Vault, alongside co-host Walter Morgan. Reflecting on his long career and the nature of the music industry, Zetro stated: “I’ve been doing this since 1986 —1986, in June, I joined Exodus for the very first time. I was 22 years old. I’m now 61. So to have kind of a rollercoaster ride in music has actually been kind of exciting. It kept my life going. Certain things happen and certain things go on, and you kind of have to deal with them as they happen, like anything.”

He clarified the circumstances surrounding his exit, emphasizing that he “did not quit” Exodus but “was let go”. Souza added: “I don’t read much of what goes on the Internet. With no disrespect to anybody, I don’t give a f*ck what anybody thinks about me or what you say… But I was made privy by my son of something Gary [Holt, Exodus guitarist and main songwriter] had responded to me saying that I didn’t quit; I was let go. And I have to agree with his analogy. Being in a band is like a marriage — it truly is — and the marriage was over. And it was. Now, I was never gonna quit, meaning maybe I guess I would never leave the marriage, for whatever reason. But I truly think that it was probably the right thing for me especially, and I hope it’s the right thing for them as well.”

Regarding his well-being after the split, Souza shared: “People were calling me — my friends and my family — asking me if I was okay. And I was fine. I was, like, ‘I’m great.’ I’m really, really happy and more content. And again, we’re in April now, and this went down in January. And actually, I knew in December — I knew before anybody knew, before it was announced. And I was cool with it.”

Addressing the band’s fanbase directly, Zetro expressed: “I’m gonna miss you guys. I really am. But for me, my life has changed a lot. What I liked when I was younger in my twenties and my thirties are not necessarily what I’m into anymore. I love my family. I mean, I came home and got married to Vickie, who I’ve been with for 17 years, and she is the love of my life. And you know how hard it is to go away from the love of my life at this point, at 61 years old for five weeks, six weeks at a time? It wasn’t easy for me, even though it may not have shown on stage, and it definitely didn’t show when I was with you guys, with you fans, and anybody that approached me because I would never want anyone to have an awful experience with me. But I think it was time, honestly.”

He further acknowledged a shift in his perspective on the demands of touring. “I had told Gary, and I told them that I would like to do this till I was 70 and probably not much more than that, but I think in the back of my mind I think I was kind of already done with the rigorous life of touring, ’cause it’s very demanding,” Souza admitted. He highlighted the personal sacrifices involved: “And the business doesn’t care about what you have going on. [I’ll] give you an example — in 2016, my mother died and I was in El Salvador on tour. I should have been at her bedside, but I wasn’t, because I had to do this. I’ve had dogs pass. I’ve missed graduations from my children. Any musician that has been in my position can absolutely relate with this, because it is part of it. And a lot of times people don’t necessarily think of that. And then there’s the guys, there’s the musicians that really like to do this, and they’ll go out and they’ll hit it hard. They’ll go from one thing to another.”

Explaining his evolving priorities, Zetro said: “I’ve changed over the past few years, even in the last 10 years since I’ve been back. And I think I’m more interested in what’s going on in my house and around what I’m doing here. I like to see my dogs every day. I have three pugs that absolutely love. I have a grandson now. I never get to see them. I wanna see my wife every day. I wanna sleep in my bed every day. It’s been something that mentally has gone on and changed. But again, I would’ve never quit because I’m not a quitter in that type of respect.”

He also revisited his 2004 departure: “Everybody’s, ‘Oh, well, you quit in 2004.’ No, I had to leave the band because I had a union job, three little kids and a wife, and I was trying to balance working as a foreman, as a union job, being a father, coaching baseball and soccer, and being a husband and playing in Exodus, and I couldn’t balance all three. The thing that I loved the most was playing in Exodus, but, unfortunately, it could not take care of my wife and my kids and ballerina signups, baseball signups. The business wasn’t paying that much at the time, so I needed to go and take care of my family… So coming back into the band in 2014, kids are grown, I’m set in my job. I was very, very excited. And again, I had a really good time over the last 10 years playing in the band.”

Reflecting on his current situation, Souza concluded: “And it was one of those things that I have to say I’m kind of glad that I’ve ended up where I’m at right now, I don’t like airports anymore. I don’t like sleeping on the tour bus anymore… So I’m not saying that this was a decision that I would’ve made, but I’m saying for myself and to have a few months to look at it, it was definitely the right decision.”

Souza also discussed the possibility of another reunion with Exodus down the line, saying: “Will I ever grace the stage with them? No, definitely not. I think it’s been done. This was the third time that I had joined the band, so I think it would be a bit redundant to try to do this or do this again. So just so you guys wanna know, I have no desire to do that ever again. It’s been done. If you saw my last concert in Los Angeles at the Regent [in December 2024], then you truly saw the last concert that Zetro will ever sing with Exodus.”

The change in the band’s lineup was announced three months prior, revealing that Exodus had parted ways with Souza and welcomed back former vocalist Rob Dukes. Souza‘s history with Exodus began in 1986, following his time with Legacy (later Testament). He fronted Exodus until their 1993 hiatus and returned for a stint between 2002 and 2004. Dukes took over vocal duties in 2005 after Souza‘s second exit and remained until 2014, at which point Souza rejoined the group once more.