Exodus Interview

Rejuvenated Thrash legends, Exodus are back with a barnstorming new album "Shovel Headed Kill Machine". Metal Chaos met up with main-man Gary Holt on the bands European tour.


The band have just finished a month long US tour, how did the tour go for Exodus?
It went good. We started out in the South, which was obviously scheduled before it got battered by hurricanes, so the shows in the South were a little rough. Once we got up into Northern territories and then back across, it was all great.
How was it touring with Watch Them Die, 3 Inches Of Blood and Crisis?
It was the most fun I've ever had on any tour. It was like a giant family. I was so sad to see everyone part ways. We had so much fun it really was one giant family helping each other out.
What was it like to be out on the road with a number of bands you more than likely influenced to begin their bands? No hero worship going on?
I don't really think that much about it. The last night of the tour they all got drunk and started flattering me, "your the reason we started playing this shit"! I was like, "shut up and have another drink! Seriously though I love everyone of those people, they were like family.
The remainder of the year sees Exodus touring throughout Europe. How much are you looking forward to the rest of the tour?
It's been incredible, we're three shows in and it's been off the hook. We played Ireland, two shows, we'd never been there and I don't know what is wrong with us as they went mad! Fantastic!
On the subject of touring, do you find there is a significant difference between the US and Europe?
Well metal is bigger over here [Europe] mainly because it never went away. In the States it's rebuilding itself again after that whole Nu-Metal mascara spiky hair abortion thing that happened.
“Shovel Headed Kill Machine” has just hit the stores, what has been fan reaction to the record thus far?
It's been incredible, all the reviews have been totally amazing and so well received.
You self produced the record, how was it being behind the production desk as well as performing? Given the success you enjoyed with “Tempo Of The Damned” was it not tempting to bring Andy Sneap back to produce?
There were a number of reasons, namely I know what I'm doing I've sat behind the desk on every album we have ever done. I missed having Andy there because him and I work so well together and have so much fun it's not even work. Andy was involved in it, even long distance. I had it's full confidence, he just wanted things miked a certain way as when he
got it to mix the signals would be clean and the way he wanted it. That's what we did. He was perfectly happy with the end results. So that was cool.
Was there any difficult being behind the production desk as well as performing on the record?
I did everything the same way as I've always done with everything album. Like I said I've sat there for every album we've ever done, the only difference was the last album, it was me and Andy barking orders etc. Whereas on this record it was me barking orders at Rob over here [pointing to Rob Dukes]. One fewer set of lungs to bark orders. Me and Andy always bark the same things anyway.
2005 has been a very traumatic year for the band, where it would appear from the outside looking in, tempting to just call it a day. Did this ever cross your mind?
No I love it. This is what I do. People have said, "did you ever think about changing the name of the band", and shit like that? The problem with that is that I went into this thing making an Exodus album when Tom had his breakdown and when Rick was never showing up for rehearsal, then quit the day before we went in. I didn't come out of retirement after 7 years and call it Exodus, I wouldn't have done that. I mean we were planning on doing a 20th anniversary Bonded By Blood thing, you know re-record the album with different guest vocalists but I would not do that without Tom and Rick. That is something I wouldn't do, one guy going in to record this album without any of the other guys who were on it. That's not right. This band right now, this is Exodus.
How are the guys settling into the band?
I feel like I have been playing with these guys for 15 years. I've known Rob for like 2 years, but like Lee I've known since 1985 and I've known Paul for almost that long. Right now we're having so much fun, there's no more drama, there is no more turmoil, no more dysfunction. We're just having the time of our lives right now.
So is it fair to say you're enjoying the whole Exodus experience more than ever before?
Oh yeah, I mean a guy like Zetro had a way of trying to make things not enjoyable. I never let him get to me, you know?
The reasons behind the loss of the other previous members have been well documented and I have no desire to dwell on this. How did you come to find and settle upon Paul and Lee?
When Tom had his melt down the first name that came to mind was Paul, but I had no idea if he was involved in any other projects at the time. We got in touch with him and as luck would have it he wasn't. He came down and I played him the riffs for the new record and he was blown away, completely into it. He immediately started putting his own stamp on the stuff, he allowed me to pick up the pace. Tom was kind of at a point, before his breakdown, where he didn't want to play a lot of fast stuff and I wanted to go faster. Paul was like, "yeah go faster, you want some double bass in there"? I was like yeah, this guy dreams double bass. Lee was the only guy I considered, he's waited like 20 years for the call to join this band. He is a bigger Exodus fan than I am! I've known Lee forever, we have the same metal musical background and he is an amazing guitar player.
New singer Rob Dukes was your guitar tech on the Megadeth tour. How did Rob go from being a crewmember to front man?
	He pestered me for an audition [laughing]. I honestly thought it would be a couple of hours of my life I'd never get back, but he came in and rocked, he was killer. [Rob Dukes to Gary]: "Do you remember calling me on Christmas Eve, asking me to come out"? Gary: Yeah I had to as you'd already told everyone you'd already got an audition, I didn't want you to be a liar [laugh]. It was a Christmas Fools joke, it's just he showed up [laugh].
	From the liner notes on the CD, it appears you pretty much wrote the whole record single-handed. Did you find this a cathartic experience given the bands problems in 2005?
	Same as the last one, the exact same percentage. I wrote all the music and all but one and half of all the lyrics on the last one. When people doubt me, when they start questioning what I'm doing, I work better when I have something to prove. I'm better when I have a chip on my shoulder, I absolutely don't know what I'm going to do with the next album as everything is running so perfectly and smoothly. I thrive on adversity, so I might have to create some myself just so I can get in the mood, get pissed off a little bit.
	Was it your intension from the outset to write a personal record and do you feel with such songs as “Shudder to think” have you exorcised some demons?
Well "Deathamphetamine" is the most personal thing I have ever written because it describes what I went through when I was addicted to Methamphetamine. It was also written when Rick was still in the band as a last ditch attempt for him to read between the lines but it didn't have that effect. Then again you've got songs where I talk about killing somebody and I've yet to kill anybody, so I don't know how personal that is?
Do you envisage the writing process for the next record being a more collective experience?
Absolutely. It's going to be so much easier on me. There are times when I don't have to carry the work load I do. It's rough balancing your own personal life between eight hours day by yourself in a rehearsal room writing riffs.
You came straight off the back of touring "Tempo Of The Damned" and went straight into writing / recording of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine". Were did all this new found influence come from?
With the exception of a few riffs I wrote the whole thing from January this year [2005] to June when we went into the studio. But I put in six to eight hour days. I didn't sit down and put the TV on for fifteen minutes and then play guitar for fifteen minutes. I worked at it like any normal job, I've become a bit of a workaholic since I quit doing drugs, it keeps me grounded, it keeps me sane to have something to do.
Given the undoubted influence the band has had on many of the new crop of bands, do you ever feel a weight of expectation when it comes time to writing & releasing new material?
Not any longer as I write for myself. I don't ever concern myself with what somebody else wants. It just turns out that Exodus fans want what I want, once you start thinking to much and start trying to meet other peoples expectations is when you become kinda contrived. Pre-planned almost. I can't let myself slow down as I know myself all to well and if I give myself the big breaks and give myself the time off I'll get to used to it. If I push myself to the point of exhaustion where I'm sick of it, but that becomes the norm then I get used to doing that instead of sitting on my ass doing nothing.
Did you ever imagine that in 1985 when "Bonded By Blood" was released, 20 years on you'd still be doing this?
All I know is that as we get older our audience gets younger. Seems like half the crowd are eighteen years old, they weren't even a twinkle in their Daddy's eye when "Bonded By Blood" was made. I'm just doing what I want to do, and I'll continue to do this so long as I'm having fun. When we broke up in '93, the Capitol Records thing sucked but we could have signed a deal the next day but I wasn't having fun anymore. I've got to enjoy it as it's a hard assed job to have if you don't love it. You bust rocks all day but at least you can go home to your own bed at the end of the day. This job is hard because of the separation from your loved ones.
Is there one message you’d like to give to the Exodus?
Thanks for sticking with me through all the drama and disfunction.

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