In a recent interview with Laughingmonkeymusic, Exodus’ Gary Holt discussed the injuries he has faced throughout his career and claimed that even top down-pickers like Metallica’s James Hetfield ‘cheat’ at it.
“We all cheat,” he acknowledged during the chat. “We’re f*cking 60 years old. I also say James is the undisputed GOAT, he’s the greatest of all time, and even he cheats live.”
He also explained how Hetfield cheats during live shows. “James is still the best ever, but you watch that middle downpick section in ‘[Welcome Home] (Sanitarium)’, which is just brutal, and they add some chunks in there, and those chunks give you all the break you need to keep going. It’s a cheat. It doesn’t mean he’s not the best.”
Two years ago, Holt once again mentioned the Metallica singer’s stage performance, saying he had seen it enough to know that he cheats.
“Everybody cheats,” Holt emphasized during a chat with Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Zakk Wylde for Guitar World. “Even James Hetfield cheats now … I’ve seen it enough times! If he’s doing a savage downpick section and then he throws in a ‘brrrp’ [motions descending slide], then that ‘brrrp’ is there for a reason. It allows you to lose a couple of notes.”
Zakk Wylde chimed in during the same interview, “It’s okay to take a nice little breather.”
In other news, Exodus has announced two special shows to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Bonded by Blood’ on April 25 and 26. The first show will take place on April 25 at UC Theatre in Berkeley, California, and the second on April 26 at House of Blues in Anaheim.
Exodus will perform ‘Bonded by Blood’ in full, along with other hits. Death Angel will provide direct support, with Blind Illusion and Nukem opening in Berkeley, and Hirax and Nukem opening in Anaheim. Limited-edition ‘Bonded by Blood’ merchandise will be available at both shows.
