EXODUS Guitarist: 'I Want To Progress To The Next Extreme Level'

Shawn Macomber of NashuaTelegraph.com recently conducted an interview with EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's "comeback" with "Tempo of the Damned", a record that proved that EXODUS' return was not only warranted, but in many ways necessary:

"If I was doing this for some quick buck — and let's be clear, there aren't a whole lot of 'em involved in this, I make a living at it but I'm certainly not rich — it would show. People would see right through it. They would listen to our records and hear the sound of someone past their prime doing it just to make a dollar. You have to love it for it to be honest. I still do."

On the timing of the band's comeback:

"It seems like timing is good right now. But, you know, I never really concerned myself with what everyone else was doing. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't think it's great that after the death of this whole nu-metal atrocity young bands are embracing the kind of music we pioneered and actually doing their own version of it. I couldn't be happier, and some of these great new bands — SHADOWS FALL, LAMB OF GOD, HYPOCRISY, THE HAUNTED — have become very good friends of mine. But I'd be doing my thing either way."

On whether he is surprised by metal's apparent resurgence:

"I'm not surprised because I always saw nu-metal as a really, really bad trend that would have no staying power whatsoever. The most popular bands from that era are long dead and forgotten. Fred Durst's 15 minutes of fame are way up. I bet Paris Hilton won't even return his calls anymore."

On the criticism that the band's sound has not progressed:

"If people think I'm not progressing enough, that's fine, that's their own opinion, and they're entitled to it. I want to progress to the next extreme level, and that's it. These songs are just who I am and what I do. It's always going to be that way. It's always going to be EXODUS. It's always going to be aggressive. You know, I still like writing riffs. I've come to the realization that if I like a riff and I'm jazzed on it, usually our fans are as well. So, whatever anyone wants to say, it all works out in the end."

On the band's recent lineup changes:

"A lot of things have happened over the years. Band members fallen by the wayside is part of that, but I kept going and didn't let anything stand in the way of progress.

"I almost feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place, because when I tell people how amazing this new lineup is they take it as if I'm belittling accomplishments of past lineups. Yeah, in the past, at its peak, when everybody was on the same page, it was as good as it gets. But the overall aggressiveness on the new record comes from this new blood. We're able to tour and play music the way we want to now. I have no regrets about moving forward."

Read the entire interview at NashuaTelegraph.com.