EXODUS' GARY HOLT Makes The Switch To SCHECTER Guitars

Guitarist Gary Holt of San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans EXODUS has issued the following update:

"First off, I'd like to announce that after six years or so have parted ways with Bernie Rico Jr. guitars. Bernie has been awesome, and I have nothing but thanks for all he's done and they awesome guitars he has built for me for so long, but it was time to move in another direction.

"So with that, I am now pleased to announce that I have moved to Schecter guitars! They have been making some of the greatest guitars for as long as I can remember and I am stoked to be joining the family. The Hellraiser V I have is one of the best-sounding and -playing guitars I have ever owned, and we have been talking about doing something VERY sick! Can't get enough of playing this thing, and the best part is, unlike the Ricos, they are affordable and within the reach of just about anyone. No bullshit, though — this thing kills! And it's been getting a lot of playing time, since we are in full riff mode for the next record and making all the necessary plans to get the ball rolling. In between now and then, we have some more shows to play (Japan and South America with KREATOR!) so keeping busy is the name of the game."

EXODUS will perform its classic debut album, "Bonded By Blood", in its entirety each night of the Thrash Domination 2009 tour of Japan in September. Also appearing on the bill are KREATOR, TESTAMENT and HEATHEN.

The German edition of Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with Holt at this year's installment of the Graspop Metal Meeting, which was held on June 26-28, 2009 on the festival grounds of the Boeretang in Dessel, Belgium.

When asked about EXODUS' plans for a new studio album, Holt said, "Hopefully we're hitting the studio around November 1 with Mr. Sneap [British producer Andy Sneap; MEGADETH, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY]. It's gonna be sick. We have four [songs] recorded [and left over] from the last session [for 2007's 'The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A'], and I've got, like, nine [other tracks] I'm working on, and Lee [Altus, guitar] has a bunch of stuff. But this next album is gonna blow people's minds."

Regarding the upcoming CD's musical direction, Holt said, "There's a couple of twists on this. I try not to repeat every album. I mean, we did 'Tempo Of The Damned' [2004], [which was] a little more old-school, and we did 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine' [2005], which was really brutal and fast, and then 'The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A' [2007], [which] was, like, longer and more epic songs. So this album's gonna have some different stuff to it. Maybe a little more dual-guitar stuff, 'cause I've been playing with Lee for quite awhile now — a little more dual-guitar harmony shred stuff. "

Watch Metal Hammer's interview with Gary Holt at this location.

A new two-minute trailer for "Assorted Atrocities", the forthcoming EXODUS three-disc DVD/CD set, can be viewed below. Due later this year, the package will contain the band's July 2008 performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, plus a 105-minute documentary following the band through the last five years of touring as well as about 45 minutes of bonus footage, with photo galleries and all of the group's promotional videos. The set will consist of two DVDs plus an audio CD of the Wacken performance.