EXODUS Guitarist Gary Holt - "How Can I Put Into Words How Excited I Am To Have Been Asked To Play With SLAYER?"
February 16, 2011, 13 years ago
As announced by SLAYER yesterday, Gary Holt of EXODUS will be temporarily filling in for guitarist Jeff Hanneman during Slayer’s upcoming tour dates. He will immediately join Slayer members Kerry King, Tom Araya and Dave Lombardo on their five-date Australian Soundwave Festival that begins February 26.
Gary Holt offers the following comments about his upcoming stint as touring guitarist for one of metal’s most venerated bands:
"How can I put into words how excited I am to have been asked to play with Slayer? Hard to describe for sure. Legendary band, check. Old friends since the birth of thrash metal. Check. Get to play ‘Angel Of Death’ live, priceless! I'll do my best to live up to the standard they've set for so many years, while we all wish Jeff a speedy return to health and his rightful place in Slayer.”Jeff Hanneman is currently recuperating at home after emergency surgery on his right arm after contracting a serious infection, possibly caused by a spider bite. He is expected to make a full recovery and will return to the Slayer line-up as soon as he has fully recovered.
"Jeff is our brother, we've all been friends and together as a band for almost 30 years," said Araya, "so we just want him to completely recover as soon as possible."
"After everything that happened last year," King added, "we all agreed that we just can't let our fans down again," referring to Araya's severe back and neck pain that prompted his January 2010 surgery, unfortunately leading to the band's postponement or cancellation of numerous shows in 2009 and 2010. "Jeff is totally on board with this decision, so we will tour as planned. At this point, we can't pinpoint exactly what day he'll be back, but he'll be back as soon as he possibly can. And we can't wait for Jeff to get better and get his ass back on the road."
