Gary Holt believes it “would have really been fake” if he’d tried to mimic Jeff Hanneman’s solo style in Slayer
Gary Holt had a tall order stepping into Jeff Hanneman’s shoes after the Slayer legend died in 2013. Never, however, did he try to imitate his predecessor’s solos, saying that doing so “would have been really fake”.
Instead, as he explains in an interview with Full Metal Jackie, the Exodus man attempted to match Hanneman not “note for note” but “vibe for vibe”.
READ MORE: “I jumped down at the end of the show and asked if he had anything to say now – he didn’t”: Gary Holt recounts experience with hecklers after he joined Slayer
Asked what his favourite Hanneman lick was, Holt says: “That’s really hard to pick one thing. There’s so much greatness in the songs that he wrote. I’m just happy to be able to play them and keep his memory alive [as transcribed by Blabbermouth].
“Solo-wise, I just kind of usually did my own thing. I tried to match him vibe for vibe, but trying to mimic Jeff’s solo style, it’s impossible for me. I’m sure there’s some guys in some tribute bands that do it note for note, but it would have really been fake if I tried to like copy them. So, I did my own thing and no one ever complained about that in the band. Occasionally some fan might not like it.
“But if I had to pick a song, maybe South Of Heaven; that’s a pretty signature song of his.”
Holt also opens up about the unexpected Slayer reunion that took place earlier this year. Five years after splitting up, they played at Chicago’s Riot Fest and Sacramento’s Aftershock. However, their planned Louder Than Life appearance was cancelled due to strong winds.
“Slayer and the audience always have this rapport. There’s a certain electricity that comes off the crowd, and we feel it. And this time we were electrocuted by it. It was insane, the energy that you could feel before the show started,” says Holt.
“Losing the Louder Than Life show due to the hurricane, that was bunk, that was sad, and no more so than for the fans who flew from all over to see it,” he adds. “But it was sad for us, too, because we really, really enjoyed Riot Fest, and it was amazing. There was only three shows. Who wants to lose one of ’em?”
Anyone hoping to see Slayer on tour again isn’t likely to have their wish granted, however as Kerry King recently insisted that 2025 will definitely be Slayer’s last hurrah. Speaking to Metal Roos, the guitarist denies any rumours that Slayer will stick around. “We’re never gonna tour again,” he says. “We’re never gonna make a record again.”
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