With a new Instagram post, Gary Holt of Exodus reflected on the challenges and triumphs of the past two years. He faced physical injuries, including a serious fall and neck problems, and the personal stresses of rescuing his brother from an Italian hospital. Despite these challenges, he found the experience rewarding and spoke of the growth and perseverance in the band, especially with their album ‘Persona Non Grata.’ He said:
“And that’s a wrap!! What a tour. What a year. Two years. This year has been the hardest I’ve ever dealt with yet massively rewarding. The most injured I’ve ever been on tour. Started the year with a horrible fall off the bus, slipping on an icy step, thought I broke my pelvis. No break. Worst pain ever. For weeks. Keep playing. Had to rescue my brother from an Italian hospital after a horrible accident. Mass turmoil, drama and stress. Had to cancel Europe for my own mental well being. Sucked. Fuck my neck up at blue ridge rock fest. Still fucked up four months later. Find a way to do what I gotta do, even if banging my head harder than all was not on the table.”
Holt took a more optimistic tone in the rest of his post. He spoke about making of new friends on tour, and the sense of achievement with their album ‘Persona Non Grata.’ He continued:
“But also. Made amazing new friends in my tour mates. Played shows that told all of Exodus that something really cool is happening with this band. We are driven. We care about nothing but crushing you. Fans. Other bands. No matter. We will destroy all. Persona Non Grata was a milestone for us. Time to crush it. To all who say they’re about to make the metal record of the year?
Hold my NA beer! Thank you to everyone, most of all our band management and crew. Family time. Then time to finish the songs for this next record! The work to deliver the beatings continues.”
Holt’s Return To Exodus
Gary Holt, replaced Jeff Hanneman after his passing and lasted 9 years as the guitarist in Slayer. It was only after Slayer retired that he could fully commit to Exodus again after Slayer’s retirement. He was informed about Slayer’s farewell tour two years in advance, which gave him a timeline for his return to Exodus. He must have missed his original band because, two months after Slayer retired, he was performing again with Exodus. In a 2021 interview with Guitar.com, he talked about this return to Exodus. He stated:
“I got a call before the start of the two-year (farewell tour), saying that they were gonna call it a day. That kind of gave me a countdown to when I’d return to Exodus full-time. I was struggling with not being there, mentally. You’re out playing these great venues but you really miss your family. I was happy, when the end came, that I could go back to being in Exodus; I was on tour in two months.”
How Different Playing In Slayer Is From Exodus, According To Holt
Gary didn’t expect to play so many guitar solos in Slayer, which was already a well-established band when he joined. He played more lead guitarist duties in Slayer but was not involved in the decision-making mechanism of the band. In another interview with Metal Hammer in 2022, Holt talked about how different it was playing with Slayer compared to Exodus. He said:
“I had one responsibility in Slayer, and that was to just go out and play and kill the songs. I didn’t have to make any decisions, I didn’t write anything, I didn’t have to deal with shifting line-ups. The biggest surprise I got was how many solos I had. Some songs I’d do three leads. They let me do my own thing – I just went out there and played the role of guitar hero.”
Holt, who is currently taking a break, said he will focus on completing the songs for the next record.
