According to former Exodus guitarist Rick Hunolt, Gary Holt’s move from Exodus to Slayer was a letdown.
The musician recently sat down with Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks and shared his thoughts on the band’s last five albums recorded after he left.
“Oh, dude, what do I think about them? I think they’re heavy as hell. I think [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt is by far one of the best songwriters in all of thrash metal bar none, for sure. He’s a beast; Gary’s a beast.”
Hunolt talked about the impact of Holt’s departure on Exodus:
“I will say that I was kind of disappointed when he left to join Slayer. I will say that. But in the long run, it’s done Exodus a lot of good. It’s gotten a lot more fans, yada yada yada. But anyway, to answer your question, I love the material. [Exodus’s latest album] ‘Persona Non Grata’ is insane. The music is awesome.”
Rick’s Statements On Leaving Exodus
Hunolt left Exodus in 2005 to focus on his family. He opened up about his exit from the band during a November 2021 appearance on Put Up Your Dukes, explaining:
“During the recording of ‘Tempo’, Gary had just gotten clean a little while prior to that, and I was still using. But I’ve gotta say, Gary Holt — my hat’s off to the man for… He never sweated me. Not once did Gary say, ‘Dude, you’re a piece of sh*t. I’m gonna fire you from the band if you don’t get your sh*t together.’ He never said nothing. He let it take its course, you know what I mean?”
The musician continued:
“I was a mess. We all were, but everybody got better, and I didn’t. I fell down the rabbit hole even worse, I think, because I was just so depressed. I couldn’t stop. I don’t know what was up… To the point where I was gonna lose my position in the band I’d been in for over 20 years — my best friends, my life. Yeah, it was dark as f*ck.”
In later years, Rick rejoined Exodus to fill in for Holt during the band’s 2012 summer tour. He also reunited with the group for a special show in July 2017.
