Blistering.com: Let’s do something different. I’ve picked five Exodus songs from your entire catalog that have flown under the radar, but I feel are excellent songs. So I’d like your thoughts on why they worked, didn’t work, and your overall opinion. Let’s start with “Brain Dead” offPleasures.
Holt: I love that song and some people might say it was the beginning of the groovy Exodus stuff, but I say we always had lots of that stuff – listen to the first half of “And Then There Were None.” I like that song. I stopped playing it for a while after Paul died because it rang a little too close home. Then I realized Paul wasn’t hitting on being politically correct and why should I? He’d probably get mad at me for not playing a song because of its lyrical content.
Blistering.com: “Like Father Like Son” off Fabulous Disaster.
Holt: That one is actually high on the list to be re-introduced in the live set. I’ve just got to guy these guys to learn it and I’ll name names: Lee and Rob [laughs]. That’s one of my favorites and Rick (Hunolt, former Exodus guitarist) wrote the main riff and I think it’s one of the best riffs he ever wrote. It’s quite an epic one and a lot of fun to play.
Blistering.com: “A.W.O.L.” off Impact Is Imminent.
Holt: That’s a heavy song and I think it’s the most underrated song we did. I think the problem with that is vocals and the phrasing and it’s the fault of Zetro being more concerned with lyrical content than giving the guy a second to breathe. The riffs on that album…if you were to do a one album collection of riffs, I think that album is the heaviest stuff I’ve ever wrote.
Blistering.com: “One Foot In the Grave” from Force of Habit.
Holt: That song was one of my favorites. I still like it. It’s catchy, kinda on the commercial side. The funny thing is that Force of Habit got much better reviews than Impact Is Imminent. If you look at which one stood the test of time, people tend to hold Impact much higher in regard than Force of Habit.Force of Habit had a lot of fast stuff on it, although people were saying it was too groove-oriented. The one mistake was trying to make Zetro sing too much and it was too melodic vocally, but solo-wise, some of those leads are some of the best Rick and I ever did.
Blistering.com: On a related note, did Capitol force you to do that Rolling Stones cover (“Bitch”)?
Holt: It was my idea [laughs]. I always liked cover songs, but I thought it would be a good idea to get the Tower of Power horn section, the best in the business on the song. But do people want to hear an Exodus song with a horn section?
Blistering.com: Finally, “Shudder To Think” off Shovelheaded.
Holt: I love that song. I live for the crunchy stuff. That shit has been around forever, it’s been on our albums (mimics guitar crunch), it’s been on (Metallica’s) “Seek and Destroy.” That song is nice and vicious.
Blistering.com: You took part in the Get Thrashed documentary and it’s only now that thrash is popular again. Any chance it will sustain itself?
Holt: It could. I’d hope so – thrash metal is what I love the best, so anything to help it, I’m all for it. I do find it amusing that it’s popular again; it almost makes me want to laugh. People used to ask me whenever we did Tempo of the Damned, “What do you think of this thrash metal renaissance?” I was like, “Dude, I was in Colorado Springs last night in front of 20 people and the capacity was 800.” The last tour we did for the states, it was the best tour we’ve done since we’ve come back.
We did shows and it happened more than once where we finished the last note and I jumped off the front of the stage and walked straight to the bar. I was like, “Fuck, I need a shot.” When the place holds 700 people and 18 paid, you start to question what you’re doing. But the last tour was the payoff. And the worst show was 150 people and I’ll take that because you still have the makings of a really fun show.
Blistering.com: What’s the status of Atrocity Exhibition Part II?
Holt: We have the four songs we recorded and I’m spending the time I have at home writing. I have seven or eight in the works right now and are in the early stages of completion and Lee has some stuff, so we have more than enough songs for the next album.
Blistering.com: Any thoughts on how the songs are turning out?
Holt: It’s just off the hook. I’m more excited about these songs than I have in a long time. This shit that is coming along… it’s so heavy and it has stuff to offer that the last three albums didn’t. I don’t want to repeat each album. The last album is real long, epic and dark, but this album is dark, but it’s faster and there’s more guitar harmonies.