THE BEAST

Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice conducted an interview with SLAYER and EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt at last night's (Wednesday, January 24) Hall Of Heavy Metal History awards gala and induction ceremony in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked about SLAYER's announcement that it was embarking on its "final" world tour, Holt replied: "My middle name is 'No Comment.' See you at the shows. Seriously, no comment."

After Kay suggested that the members of SLAYER might reconsider retirement from the road, similar to the way SCORPIONS changed their minds after announcing in 2010 that they would end their career following a three-year farewell tour, Holt said: "Noooo. C'mon! But I love the SCORPIONS. I hope [their tour] never ends.

"We are wrapping it up," he continued. "The tour dates have been announced. The tour is huge. It's gonna be awesome. And I'm honored and proud to be a part of it. And we're gonna make it something for people to remember. It's gonna be epic."

Pressed about whether there will be a final SLAYER album to complement the band's decision to stop touring, Holt said: "No. No, there's no new album. I'd say it's a no. But my name is Gary 'No Comment' Holt today. I don't know nothing. You've seen the dates, you saw the press releases. And come out and celebrate the mighty history of SLAYER, which I'm lucky to have been part of for the last seven years now. It's been a ride, it's been remarkable, and we're gonna end it in gloriously violent fashion."

Holt also confirmed that he has been writing material for EXODUS's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album. "I'm taking my time," he said. "I'm super proud of it. It's heavy, of course. It's crushing. It's brutal. But it's something else — it's something altogether different."

SLAYER's latest album, "Repentless", was released in September 2015. Holt did not contribute to the songwriting process on the disc, although he did lay down guitar solos on most of the album's twelve tracks.

Holt joined EXODUS in 1981 shortly after their formation, and has been the band's main songwriter ever since. Holt has performed on every EXODUS album, and is considered highly influential in the world of thrash metal. In 2011, he began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS.