In a recent interview with Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks, former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt was asked to share his thoughts on the band’s last five studio albums recorded after his departure.
“Oh, dude, what do I think about them? I think they’re heavy as hell,” Hunolt responded. “I think [EXODUS guitarist] Gary Holt is by far one of the best songwriters in all of thrash metal bar none, for sure. He’s a beast; Gary‘s a beast. I will say that I was kind of disappointed when he left to join SLAYER. I will say that. But in the long run, it’s done EXODUS a lot of good. It’s gotten a lot more fans, yada yada yada. But anyway, to answer your question, I love the material. [EXODUS‘s latest album] Persona Non Grata is insane. The music is awesome.”
When asked for his opinion on the Rob Dukes-era EXODUS albums, Rick said: “Rob Dukes brought another level to EXODUS. I think it made it — I’m not gonna say new metal, but I will say more aggressive, over the top, angry. Rob‘s one of my favorite singers. And, honestly, for the record, if I ever do another thrash band, guess who’s gonna be my singer. He already said [he would do it]. I already nailed him down. So, it’s all good.”
Hunolt was instrumental in shaping the band’s sound from 1985 to 2004. Co-writing classics like “A Lesson In Violence” and “Deliver Us To Evil,” he was a key figure in EXODUS‘’ discography. His tenure ended with the acclaimed 2004 album, Tempo Of The Damned, after which he was replaced by Lee Altus, formerly of HEATHEN.
Hunolt previously opened up about his departure from EXODUS during a November 2021 interview on the “Put Up Your Dukes” podcast hosted by Dukes. He said at the time: “During the recording of Tempo, Gary had just gotten clean a little while prior to that, and I was still using. But I’ve gotta say, Gary Holt — my hat’s off to the man for… He never sweated me. Not once did Gary say, ‘Dude, you’re a piece of s**t. I’m gonna fire you from the band if you don’t get your s**t together.’ He never said nothing. He let it take its course, you know what I mean?
“I was a mess,” Rick continued. “We all were, but everybody got better, and I didn’t. I fell down the rabbit hole even worse, I think, because I was just so depressed. I couldn’t stop. I don’t know what was up… To the point where I was gonna lose my position in the band I’d been in for over 20 years — my best friends, my life. Yeah, it was dark as f**k.
“One day, after spending my life, giving everything that I had and the whole world to EXODUS, one day I woke up and I wasn’t in EXODUS anymore. And that morning was, like… Dude, I can’t even describe the emotions that I [was feeling]. I woke up and I wasn’t in EXODUS anymore, dude. It damn near took me out, bro.”
“I had to reinvent myself at 40-plus years old, [with] two little kids,” he added. “I ended up moving out of Oakland. I had to get the f**k out of there, ’cause we were living at the studio; it was bad. And then we moved in with my wife’s mom and I got a job at the [discount chain] Dollar Tree and I ended up working there for, like, two or three years. I mean, I can go on and on and on. But long story short, I met a guy who knew who I was and offered me a job on his ranch. And the rest is history. He taught me how to live my life and make money.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.