Exodus guitarist Gary Holt recently revealed his uncredited contribution to Metallica’s classic song “Creeping Death.” He expressed his feelings about the situation in an interview on The Heavy Stories podcast.
Holt discussed his role in writing the lyrics for the “Ride The Lightning” track. He also shared his belief that he deserves compensation for his work.
“It’s (Creeping Death) Kirk’s riff, it’s my lyrics. I’ve never been credited, so yeah, that’ll tell you how I feel. I should get paid for that shit,” Holt said. “The song was ‘dying by his hand’ and they – James – changed the line to ‘die by my hand’. You know, I mean, I’m entitled to some money, James. I’ll send you my bank info! It’ll be a fat cheque.”
The guitarist clarified his position on the musical composition. He maintained his stance on the lyrics.
“But those are Kirk’s riffs and he was more than welcome to them. They were his. I had zero ownership of any of that,” he continued.
Holt also shared details about his early friendship with Kirk Hammett. He explained how it led to his musical career.
“When I first met Kirk, we became immediate best friends. Shortly after we started hanging out, he asked, ‘Do you want to learn to play guitar?’ He taught me my first chords and a couple licks and I ran with it,” Holt explained. “He loaned me this piece of shit guitar. He had an extra one around the house. He owned two. One was his Gibson V and one was this Montgomery Ward’s guitar with the horrible action – it was terrible. But I learned how to play on it and six months later, they asked me to join Exodus.”
This isn’t the first time Holt has publicly addressed his contribution to the Metallica classic. His claims provide insight into the complex history behind one of metal’s most recognizable songs.
Louder Sound reported that Holt wrote the lyrics for Exodus’ 1983 demo song “Die By His Hand.” The track featured Hammett’s riff before he joined Metallica. When Hammett brought the material to his new band, James Hetfield adapted the original line “dying by his hand” to “die by my hand” for what would become “Creeping Death.”
The official songwriting credits for “Creeping Death” from Metallica’s 1984 album “Ride the Lightning” list Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, and Hammett. Wikipedia confirmed there is no mention of Holt or any Exodus material. Despite Holt’s claims, Metallica has not publicly responded to his assertions about deserving credit or compensation.
In previous interviews from 2020, MetalSucks documented that Holt expressed anger over the uncredited use. He noted he confronted Hammett about the situation. Hammett reportedly claimed he thought he had asked permission to use the material, though Holt disputes this recollection.
Holt’s recent comments maintain a lighthearted tone with jokes about receiving a “fat cheque.” However, the underlying issue of songwriting credit and compensation remains unresolved. Tone Deaf noted that Holt has watched crowds chant the line at Metallica shows over the years without receiving any financial compensation for what he claims as his lyrical contribution.
