Gary Holt is speaking candidly about the future of Exodus, and he is not pretending the subject is easy. In a new interview with Oran O’Beirne of Fistful Of Metal, the Exodus guitarist said the band may eventually reach a point where it has to stop, but for now he still believes there is more life left in the group. His bluntest line came when he laughed and said, “I don’t wanna die on stage.”
Holt said he has been thinking a lot about mortality, especially as he gets older. He explained that he wants “at least another twenty-five years” with his children and grandchildren, and said he is doing everything he can to make that happen. That includes staying sober, which he said he has now maintained for five years. For Holt, the issue is not just about music anymore; it is also about life after the road.
The question came up because of the way other thrash giants have handled their exits. Holt pointed to Megadeth’s recent farewell-tour announcement as an example of the kind of decision that might eventually face Exodus too. He said that if the band reaches a point where it knows it is time, then it may take a similar route to the one their peers have chosen — or it may simply end things on its own terms.
Holt also looked back on his time with Slayer and the emotions that came with their final shows. He said he watched “grown men burst into tears” at Slayer’s farewell at the Forum in Los Angeles in November 2019, and admitted he himself cried during the closing moments of “Angel Of Death.” That memory clearly still sticks with him, not because it was dramatic, but because it showed how much a final performance can mean to both musicians and fans.
Even while discussing endings, Holt made it clear that Exodus is not there yet. He said that when his day eventually comes, he will have a lot of great memories, and joked that unless something catastrophic happens, the band will celebrate the right way whenever that time arrives. Then he drove the point home: Exodus is still “stronger than ever,” and the current album proves that the band still has “a lot more gas in the tank.”
That confidence is backed up by Holt’s ongoing schedule. Louder reported earlier this year that, despite his long run with Slayer, he returned to Exodus fully once Slayer stopped touring and embraced the grit of the smaller, rougher venues that come with Exodus dates. He told The Moshville Times that it is a way of life, and said he loves the extremes of the job — from big arena comfort to a sketchy shower in a German venue.
In that same interview, Holt said he cannot retire, because he still needs to keep working and still loves his job. He added that being in Exodus is the band he joined when he was 17, and that he will soon be 62, still doing what he loves. That sense of commitment runs through everything he said in the new Blabbermouth interview as well: he is realistic about time, but he is not ready to slow down just yet.
Exodus have recently wrapped a Canadian run with Megadeth and Anthrax, and they still have European and North American dates lined up through the end of May, which fits Holt’s view that the band is still very much active and still moving forward.
What makes Holt’s comments hit harder than a standard retirement question is how human they are. He is not trying to sound tough or invincible. He is saying plainly that he loves the music, loves the people around him, and does not want the final chapter to arrive on a stage under a spotlight. That honesty gives the interview its weight.
