Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has opened up about the band’s future and his personal priorities, in a conversation covered by Fistful of Metal.
Holt addressed whether Exodus would be retiring soon or embarking on a farewell tour. He explained that while the end may come one day, his focus right now is on his family and his health.
“Well, I don’t wanna die on stage. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my own mortality, but I need at least another twenty-five years with my children and grandchildren,” Holt said. “I’m doing everything I can to get to that point, as I’ve been sober for the last five years, and if Exodus gets to that point where we know it’s time, then we may take the route that our friends have and are taking, or perhaps we’ll just end it. Who knows?”
Holt also reflected on the legacy of the band and what a potential ending would mean to him personally.
“This is a huge part of our lives. When my day comes and I can’t do this anymore, I have a lot of great memories,” he continued. “I’m sure we’ll celebrate the right way, whenever that day comes, unless it’s something drastic like losing both of my arms in a f*cked up agricultural accident, but for now, Exodus is stronger than ever and this album is proof that we have a lot more gas in the tank.”
The comments come as Exodus continues to promote their latest album. Holt’s words suggest the band remains active and creatively driven despite his reflections on mortality and the future.
Holt’s candid remarks offer a rare glimpse into the personal reckoning that many veteran rock musicians face after decades on the road. He balances the demands of a career built on intensity with the quieter pull of family life. For Holt, sobriety has clearly become a cornerstone of that shift. His words suggest a man who is thinking carefully about what comes next, both for himself and for Exodus.
As reported by Louder Sound, Exodus is one of the founding bands of the Bay Area thrash metal movement, having formed in San Francisco in 1979. Alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, the band helped define the genre’s aggressive sound and relentless touring ethic. That legacy makes Holt’s reflections on slowing down all the more significant for the metal community.
Holt’s personal journey has been as turbulent as the music he helped create. Kerrang! noted that Holt spent several years as a touring guitarist for Slayer following the death of Jeff Hanneman in 2013. That period placed enormous physical and emotional demands on him while he simultaneously kept Exodus active. His decision to step back from Slayer in 2019 was widely seen as a move to recommit fully to Exodus and to his own well-being.
Sobriety has played a central role in Holt’s renewed focus. Metal Hammer previously reported that Holt spoke about the toll that years of substance use took on his health and relationships. His five years of sobriety represent one of the most significant personal achievements of his life. That foundation, he suggests, is what now allows him to think seriously about the future — both for Exodus and for the family time he says he has long sacrificed.
Whether Exodus ultimately opts for a grand farewell tour in the vein of peers like Slayer or simply fades out on their own terms, Holt’s message is clear: the band’s story is not over yet, but he is already thinking about how it ends. For a musician who has spent over four decades at the forefront of thrash metal, that kind of self-awareness may be the most powerful statement he has ever made.
