Holt believes he unified Slayer

Gary Holt believes he’s been a unifying force in Slayer – and it’s one of the most important things he’s brought to the band.

The Exodus guitarist has been working with Kerry King and Tom Araya since the late Jeff Hanneman stepped back in 2011, and appears on the thrash icons’ latest album Repentless, alongside drummer Paul Bostaph.

The two remaining original members haven’t always had the closest of relationships – with frontman Araya admitting earlier this year that he and King often didn’t communicate in the past.

Holt tells The Jasta Show: “People have asked me, ‘What do you think is the most important thing you brought to Slayer?’ It sounds like a really hippie way to say it – I’d say it’s unity.

“I’m really close to everybody in the band. I maybe have been a bridge in keeping everybody smiling. I’m always in a good mood. I’m a hard guy to piss off.”

He adds: “We have our times when I hang out with Kerry at night. I hang out with Tom and Paul at different times. But everybody’s happy – everybody’s enjoying it.”

Holt says he’s still getting used to the material on Repentless. “I never listen to my own music after it’s done, whether it’s Exodus or Slayer. The difference here is I don’t know how to play everything on this album yet.

“An Exodus album, maybe I stopped listening to it – but at least I wrote it all. Now I’m starting to have to delve into the album to learn how to play the stuff.”

Slayer tour the UK next month with support from Anthrax.

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.