Tag Archives: Gary Holt

Exodus Reveals New Album Title “Persona Non Grata”

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Bay Area thrash godfathers Exodus have announced their new album will be dubbed Persona Non Grata, due in the summer of 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records.  The post came from Gary Holt’s popular Instagram account. The new album will be the follow up to the follow-up to 20161’s Blood In Blood Out, which marked the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted the band from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004. “Persona Non Grata” was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi (Machine Head) and Exodus. It was produced by the band and it is currently being mixed by Andy Sneap.

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ALBUM REVIEWS: Heathen – Empire Of The Blind

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All good things come to those who wait, and if there ‘s one thing Bay Area thrashers Heathen believe in, it’s making people wait. With a four year gap from their 1987 debut to the follow-up, followed by a nineteen year-long hiatus, a decade has now passed since The Evolution of Chaos (Mascot Records), so make the most of new album Empire of the Blind (Nuclear Blast Records) because who knows how long it will take for another one to appear.Continue reading →


Testament’s Chuck Billy Test’s Positive for COVID-19

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In a statement to fans, Testament has announced that vocalist Chuck Billy has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Billy had “been feeling unwell” since returning home to the San Francisco Bay Area last week following the completion of “The Bay Strikes Back 2020” European tour with Exodus and Death Angel. The 57-year-old Billy, who didn’t reveal if he had any idea how he contracted the virus, says he has been quarantined since arriving home. Other members of “The Bay Strikes Back 2020” tour that has reported illness are Exodus founder Gary Holt and Death Angel drummer Will Carroll who is in the ICU in San Francisco and said to be very ill. Continue reading →


Gary Holt Sends Out Thoughts for Death Angel’s “Very Ill” Drummer Will Carroll

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Gary Holt has made a public post making a please for fans to send best wishes and good vibes to Death Angel’s drummer, Will Carroll, who is “very ill” in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital. Gary previously posted that he was exhibiting all the symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, keeping him and his wife Lisa in quarantine. Gary’s band Exodus, just came back from the Bay Strikes Back tour with both Death Angel and Testament as the headliner, Will’s fiancée Leeshawn Navarro checked in from San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center on Wednesday (March 18) to say that she brought him to the emergency room because he has been “very sick” since returning from a European tour earlier in the month. She also asked his friends to send him “positive healing thoughts.”. Will is also a host on Gimmie Radio and one of the greatest guys in the business. We hope  he makes a full recovery soon.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Testament – Exodus – Death Angel: Live at Bristol 02 Academy

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It’s a little surprising to discover that, despite having known each other for over thirty years, Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel; three leading lights of the Bay Area thrash metal scene have never actually been on the road together before. Dubbed “The Bay Strikes Back”, the first UK date of this neck-snapping triple bill is located, rather appropriately, near the water. Okay, the Bristol Channel might not be the Pacific Ocean, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge might not be quite as impressive as the Golden Gate Bridge, but you can’t have everything now can you.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Heathen – Evolution Of Chaos

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Although formed in 1984, Heathen didn’t arrive on most people’s radars until the release of their debut album, Breaking the Silence (Combat Records) in 1987. Part of the legendary Bay Area Thrash scene, Heathen followed established acts such as Exodus and some bunch of relocated no-hopers called Metallica out of the region, joining the likes of fast-moving up-and-comers Testament, Vio-Lence, Death Angel, and Forbidden, among many others.Continue reading →


Slipknot’s Jim Root and Mick Thomson Named “Best Metal Guitarists In The World.”

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According to a poll on the Music Radar website, Slipknot’s Jim Root and Mick Thomson have been named “Best Metal Guitarists In The World.” The pair received over 17,000 votes, beating out such names as James Hetfield (Metallica); James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch (Korn); Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg (Amon Amarth); Richard Z.Kruspe and Paul Landers (Rammstein); Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, Sean Long and Mat Welsh (While She Sleeps); Kerry King and Gary Holt (Slayer); Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage); and Alexi Laiho and Daniel Freyberg (Children Of Bodom) in a vote by fans of the site. Slipknot’s new album We Are Not Your Kind released on August 9th via Roadrunner Records/Elecktra. Continue reading →


FEATURE: Facing Life Without Slayer

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Slayer, photo credit Gary Alcock

From the first day of December 2019, we enter a dark, horrifying new era. Life without Slayer.

Sorry. Life without SLAAAAAYYYERRR!!!

There, that’s better.

From the moment I discovered Slayer on a compilation album called Speed Kills back in 1985, my life was changed forever. Just the sound of their name was enough. Everything you needed to know about the band encapsulated in two perfect syllables, especially when screamed at an ear-splitting volume or when chanted with thousands of other like-minded blood-hungry psychopaths.Continue reading →


Hatriot – From Days Unto Darkness

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One of the first things that strikes you about the new album by Californian thrashers Hatriot is just how great vocalist Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza is sounding these days. His trademark high pitched, angry version of Bon Scott sounds so good that it could be someone half his age singing instead. Hang on, what do you mean it is?Continue reading →


Volbeat Shares New Single for “Cheapside Sloggers”, ft. Gary Holt

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Volbeat will release their new studio album next month on Augst 2nd via Republic Records. The band has booked extensive tours of Europe (headline) and the USA (Knotfest Roadshow). The band just shared a new single, ‘Cheapside Sloggers’, featuring thrash legend Gary Holt of Exodus and Slayer. Watch the clip now!Continue reading →