“Metallica were the best of all of us but not anymore”: Gary Holt says Exodus now “crushes” their thrash rivals
Master of Puppets may be “the best metal album ever made” in the eyes of Gary Holt, but the band behind it is no longer “the best” today, according to the Exodus guitarist.
Speaking to Metal Hammer Spain, Holt reflects on the long-running dynamic between Exodus and Metallica, tracing it back to the early days of the Bay Area, and the very different paths the two bands took as thrash exploded into the mainstream.
READ MORE: Gary Holt: “All I listen to is Adele”
“I think the thrash bands that came after [us] – ‘cause, obviously, the first two in the [San Francisco] Bay Area were us and Metallica – were really chasing what Metallica did,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “That’s why most of ‘em started doing ballads and they started following the blueprint a little, whereas Exodus kind of did our own thing.”
“For better or for worse, we made our own decisions,” Holt adds. “We tried our hardest not to be like Metallica.”
While Holt is quick to give James Hetfield and co. their due, he argues that the Bay Area pecking order has long shifted, with Exodus now firmly ‘crushing’ their old peers.
“Everybody makes their own musical decisions,” he says. “Metallica were the best of all of us. I mean, I don’t think so anymore – I think Exodus crushes them, but that’s my own humble opinion.”
Still, when it comes to the records themselves, Holt isn’t shy about showering praise on what he considers “the best” the genre has delivered.
“But [Metallica third LP, 1986’s] Master Of Puppets, to me, is the best metal album ever made,” says the guitarist. “I fucking love it. I’m jealous, that album is so good. It makes me jealous. Some people like [Metallica’s second album, 1984’s] Ride The Lightning better. I think Master Of Puppets is a masterpiece.”
“That album and Stained Class [by] Judas Priest are, to me, the two best metal albums of all time. [Exodus guitarist] Lee Altus likes Ride The Lightning better [than Master Of Puppets]. To me, it’s no choice. It’s, like, no – it’s fucking Master Of Puppets.”
In related news, Gary Holt recently joked he’s still waiting on royalties for Metallica’s megahit Creeping Death, claiming his lyrics from an early Exodus demo helped shape the track that later appeared on Ride The Lightning.
“It’s Kirk’s riff, it’s my lyrics,” he told Heavy Stories [via Louder]. “I’ve never been credited, so yeah, that’ll tell you how I feel. I should get paid for that shit.”
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