Gary Holt: It Should’ve Been Jeff Hanneman Playing With Slayer
Slayer's touring career came to an end this past weekend in Inglewood, Calif. To express his appreciation for having been a part of the band, guitarist Gary Holt took to his instagram and penned a heartfelt caption on a photo of him with his comrades.
Holt, who also plays in Exodus, was recruited by Slayer in 2011 when founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman contracted a flesh-eating disease that required countless surgeries and stints of physical rehab, which prevented him from being able to tour. He sadly died in 2013 from other health-related issues, resulting in Holt becoming his permanent replacement.
In his Instagram post, Holt admitted that while he will be "forever honored" to have been able to play with the legendary thrash group, Hanneman should've been the one on guitars instead.
"Now that the final show has come and gone, I just want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me stepping into this monster called Slayer," Holt wrote before thanking fellow members Tom Araya, Kerry King and Paul Bostaph. "I will miss so much more than just sharing a stage with you guys. I’ll miss the jokes, the penalty shots for our onstage fuck ups, the philosophical discussions, the fart jokes, the millions of laughs, the songs, the bus ride movies and more shots. MASSIVE love to all three of you."
After mentioning many other people who had impacted his experience in Slayer, including former drummer Dave Lombardo, Holt thanked the fans for accepting him.
"And to the Slayer fans, thanks for making me feel welcome, it’s been a special and magnificent metal journey," he continued. "Forever honored to have been a part of this band. But I never wanted this. Jeff should have been there. I just held down the fort for him."
The guitarist concluded by mentioning Exodus' upcoming material, calling it "a world destroyer." Read his full post below.
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