An Interview with Charlie Benante and Gary Holt (Anthrax / Exodus)

We spoke with Anthrax’s Charlie Benante and Exodus’s Gary Holt on January 12th, 2023. The duo were doing press for their upcoming tour featuring Anthrax, Black Label Society and Exodus. The tour kicks off on January 17th in Boise, Idaho and ends in Oakland, California on February 18th. This tour is going to be a treat for the fans, all three are fantastic live acts and they are sure to blow the roof off all venues on the itinerary.
Anthrax:
www.anthrax.com/
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Exodus:
www.exodusattack.com/
/ exodusattack
/ exodusbandofficial
open.spotify.c...
/ exodusattack
/ exodusattack
Black Label Society
www.blacklabelsociety.com/
/ blacklabelsociety
/ zakkwyldebls
open.spotify.c...
/ zakkwyldetv
interviewer: Ruben Mosqueda
Edited by: Mike Lewis
Photo by: Mike Lewis
#wegoto11 #Anthrax #CharlieBenante #Exouds #GaryHolt

[@slimsantilli4476]

In 1989 I saw Helloween Exodus and Anthrax in Boston. Amazing time for a teenager like me.

[@joec1962]

Damn, you're old Slim! Lol. Kidding I caught Anthrax for the first time on the Clash of Titans tour with Megadeth and Slayer in Springfield Illinois. I'm right there with you brother

[@jcass1970]

Caught that same show (headbangers tour) in New Orleans. Good times, and still listen to Anthrax and Exodus on a regular basis.

[@stevehedrick5400]

I was in my early 20's saw the same tour in New Orleans killer show. I still have my signed danny spitz guitar pick 🤘

[@drheim1]

Saw that tour in Houston, awesome times, still got Scott’s pick somewhere.

[@drheim1]

Decapitated!!! Hells yes.

[@jailer23044]

Taking my teenage boys to this show next month. I saw Anthrax, Exodus and Celtic Frost on the Among The Living tour, what a great show Can't wait to see them again.

[@samuelmagnum6047]

Architect Of Pain!!!! That would be the song of songs to hear live. Legendary!

[@MorbidVizions]

Definitely! Probably my favorite Exodus song since forever. Been wanting to see it live for so long. Going to see this show being my 6th time seeing exodus and really wish they'd play it!

[@soulpatchjackson3076]

Just say yes! Both of y'all will be at blue ridge rockfest.....

[@scurrie666]

Yeah play time live!

[@ronnycollins9125]

I still remember seeing them both in San Francisco 2013. An old friend of mine and his girlfriend got bought tickets to the show for my birthday. Good times.

[@jacksonrandyrhoads6089]

That's cool man!

[@zackaryemerson8050]

So pumped to watch these guys in a couple weeks 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@jeremiahpickens5048]

Both fantastic bands. 🤘

[@georgepress1261]

Can’t wait to see this tour February 4 th in Bethlehem, wish it was in Philly

[@entelikey1]

‘One Man Stands’ off Persistence is the deep cut I want to hear played live. Joey fkn rules.

[@pleasuretokill]

I want to hear Verbal Razors from Exodus off of Fabulous Disaster. I want to see if Souza can still pull that off live. One of my fave Exodus songs ever. I remember having the cassette lyric sheet and rewinding that song over and over and over til I learned to belt out the vocals on that song. Can still (barely) do it today lol

[@MorbidVizions]

Gary, let's get Architect of Pain and Verbal Razors on this setlist brother!! Would love to see In My World by Thrax live too! Seen both these guys many times and yet to hear those live!

[@brumpo9721]

So stoked to see you guys!

[@eddiemuniz761]

Reign in blood clocks in at 28 minutes straight to the punch!!!Thanks Rick Rubin Colossal Job!!!!!

[@X-Factor-by2kz]

January 28th!! Woooo!!

[@sunshiney3617]

See you guys in Oklahoma next months! Thankfully my daughter is now a fan and now goes to the shows with me!

[@mmhmm88]

Gary, y’all should put Verbal Razors on the set list! The most underrated Exodus song ever written!

[@MorbidVizions]

Fuck yeah man! Been in love with that song since the first time I heard it way back when the album first came out. No one even gives it the light it deserves. Been waiting to hear it live for years! Going to the show in OKC on Valentines day and hoping to hell they play it!! Come on Gary, make it happen hahaha

[@thought1212]

i love that whole album. just crazy energy thrash.

[@MorbidVizions]

@@thought1212 Not a bad track on the album!

[@mmhmm88]

Fabulous is hands down in my top two favorite Exodus Albums. Was actually the first Exodus Vinyl I had purchased.

[@MorbidVizions]

@@mmhmm88 Hell yeah man, still holds up today too! Tempo is up there for me also

[@rc2487]

I had also seen Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween in 1989 at Louisville Gardens in Louisville KY during the MTV Headbangers Ball Tour. I'm glad that I got to enjoy these bands when they were in there Golden years, not old like today.

[@MorbidVizions]

Oh hell yeah, I haven't got to see Helloween but have been a fan since the early-ish years! Would love to see them live!

[@nathanhuffines]

Just saw this show in seattle a few days back. Never gets old. At 45 i was raging like i was 15 again.

[@thunderbirdbrown3002]

This is cool!!!🤘🏿😎👹🤘🏿 Lords Gary Holt and St.Charlie 🤘🏿🤘🏿🤘🏿!!!Hell Yeah!!!Getcha Pull 🥃-CHEERS 🍻

[@raymondlugo9960]

I love "Architect of Pain"!

[@thereallycool]

My friend in Norway(!!!!) just got me a ticket to see the Seattle gig(!!!!!!!!) and I am SO STOKED. I always try to see Anthrax & Exodus every chance i get, have since 1985! Last time I saw Anthrax at the Paramount was '91? ANTHRAX/PUBLIC ENEMY/PRIMUS/YOUNG BLACK TEENAGERS last night of that tour. This will be the 1st time im not going to be up front, but im HELLA thankful for the Balcony seat ive been gifted. THRASH METAL ROYALTY IS NOT TO BE MISSED. EVER. Ok "I'm stuck in my ways, and my way is THRASH" -Gary Holt. That is a perfect quote...should be on a shirt (4XL please) I thought EXODUS played all of BONDED BY BLOOD in Ballard right before Baloff died. I was supposed to interview Paul & Gary for a local rag..Paul had fallen through a skylight or some crazy shit, so i got to interview Gary and manager extraordinaire Debbie Obono. I should write a book (lol)

[@comicndn5169]

I can't wait to see them in OKC next month, I'm so excited!

[@MorbidVizions]

Gonna be there also, thrash on!

[@aboutthemetal8783]

Charlie is one of the best songwriters in metal .

[@cyclopsvideo1]

This is gonna be a good tour.Great line-up.

[@catmanduu66]

Seeing them on the 28th of Jan.. It will be the third time seeing them on three tours for the last album. Saw them open for Volbeat and then headlining and again headlining, can't wait. Making up for not seeing them in the 80s. Been a fan since Among.

[@angelotro]

I saw Exodus open for RHCP in 1990, at the Henry J Kaiser Center, SF. This type of combo made more sense at the time (and place). Like the Anthrax/Public Enemy/Primus tour at the same location the next year. Good times.

[@vovindequasahi]

Awesome guys!

[@chrislarson5696]

Anaheim…. I’m there.🤘

[@billymaus6287]

Great interview! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@scurrie666]

awesome interview. thanks guys. seen both bands multiple time. mosh the fuck on!

[@chrisberg2083]

The two coolest members in both bands

[@damageinc81292]

These 2 bands are my favorite of the big 5

[@jerrumite4425]

Got tickets for them at Portland in February.

[@eddiemuniz761]

I foresee PANTERA recording an album with this lineup which should certainly reap some reallly good results!

[@unyum]

\,,/BOISE BABY!!!\,,/

[@ChicagoTRS]

That sound bar is annoying AF...just axe that thing. But great interview...two of the best guys in thrash.

[@eddiemuniz761]

Howling furies which Craig deangelo played drums on from Fistful of metal!!!!

[@careful__Icarus]

Philtera is a fantastic lineup...in theory only.

[@eddiemuniz761]

Dear Gary: what were the circumstances regarding the last minute decision to omit the original cover of , Pleasures of the flesh and how did you go about getting the person who spoke on the intro to deranged from the same album was it the labels decision to omit the original pleasures of the flash cover?

[@pacmanmcquack8981]

🤘👹🍻

[@danzemacabre8899]

Skeleton in the closet dammit! Play it! Lone justice ! Burst..Joey would sound killer on this! Belly of the beast and persistence! We really don't need to hear the mainstays for a while

[@zentatonic]

Right? Couldn't care less about Antisocial they have 100 better songs

[@feral7523]

It'd be better if these big OLD thrasher bands gave the up and coming new younger Thrashers a slot on these tours rather than having all 50+year olds playing! fans need energetic youth too imo. And yeah Hell Awaits is the best Slayer album At Dawn they Sleep and Crypts of Eternity rule.

[@R8drdave]

I was at the raiders seachickens game. Glad the raiders won lol

[@NoCantsAllowed]

You know what though fellas? Everybody always says, "We GOTTA play those certain songs that certain people came/want to see." However, if they are REALLY true fans, like myself, then they have likely already seen you guys play "those certain hits"... at the last few shows. Personally, I would prefer to see, of course, good songs played but also, again, as a true fan, maybe something slightly obscure. Something that I haven't seen you guys perform 10-times already. Mix it up. It's fine. If someone isn't happy that you didn't play "Madhouse" or "Blacklist".

[@GillRigged]

Gary's office doubles as a utility closet 👀😆

[@robertkelly1596]

"We go to 11," does the eleven represent "11 Strong's Concordance" or H11, which is the Abyss/Bottomless Pit ? Just curious.

[@wegoto1116]

No, it's actually a reference to the movie Spinal Tap.

[@Njrebel68]

Seriously you have a line right across Gary Holts face

[@pwest1011]

Play Open Season in Vancouver! pleaseee...

[@HailTheApocalypse]

How do you keep Charlie from robbing you? Ask him for his autograph. But me being from Baltimore it was awesome of him for the Turnstile call out.

[@megaduck7965]

Charlie you could not play anti social and save me at least £12 by not giving me the chance to go to the bar and or a piss , I know it’s always somebody’s first show but it’s like wrathchild for me when I go to see maiden

[@cbr9914]

not a fan of exodus at all, but i could listen to gary solo alllll day. as for these package tours and set length, i like these travelling sideshows because of the shorter sets.....i can't really handle much more than an hour of any band anymore, so getting 3 bands do 40 min to and hour is just perfect.

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

Good to see Charlie doing the thing with Pantera, , Gary , of course, from the Bay Area's Shitty metallica...errr Exodus

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

@eternal monstrosity what does that even mean...

[@tolsen8212]

Exodus are still thrash. Metallica haven't been for 30 years. In fact, the shittiest version of Metallica is....Metallica. Lulu. St Anger. etc.

[@thereallycool]

@eternal monstrosity ..... was.

[@tolsen8212]

@eternal monstrosity Breathing Lightning was a great song. personally I think that while each of the members is a fantastic musician, their best songwriting was done in the 90s with John Bush, their best riffs & licks were written in the 80s with Dan Spitz (underrated), and since the early 2000s they've been a bit hit and miss, mostly writing fairly forgettable stuff. Having said that, I would take anything Anthrax released over Metallica's last few albums.

[@johnpage7624]

Hey, Metallica's last 5 albums have been shit!!

[@tolsen8212]

Host should have had the sound bar across his face. Not Gary.

[@rubenmosqueda]

Good point. Interestingly enough when we were recording the conversation Charlie was on the upper left and Gary was on the upper right!

[@tolsen8212]

@@rubenmosqueda Sorry if that sounded a little grumpy. I actually thought it was an excellent interview and you kept the questions engaging for both Gary & Charlie, and put them in a relaxed mood. I have zero idea on video editing so take no notice of me. Keep up the great content and thanks for the reply.

[@tolsen8212]

@@rubenmosqueda PS: I have subscribed & I'll share your content with my friends. Cheers

[@wegoto1116]

This one was a bit tricky to edit. This is the first interview where we've had three participants. There were almost four as Mike was going to join on the host end, but unfortunately had to work (as usual) and couldn't make it.

[@rubenmosqueda]

@@tolsen8212 Thanks so much. RM

[@riz040]

Play the sun is my destroyer that’s a good 9 minutes and then and then there were none end with piranha walk off and I’ll leave

[@markcaruana2697]

Charlie wish you could do sod songs even without Billy, I know there's bad blood there.

[@zentatonic]

would be cool if pantera did a couple

[@Liam-ly8rv]

I personally hate hearing the same songs played on every tour. I want to hear the less played and more obscure songs. I ceased seeing Iron Maiden as they play the same thing over and over to the point of nausea. With 17 albums we still hear the same fucking songs every tour. I can't believe Open Season has never been played live. I've read heaps of times people wanting Open Season played live.

[@metalthrashingai2238]

+1 for Open Season. Also I'd love to hear Thrash Under Pressure, Faster Than You'll Ever Be, Riot Act, Forward March, Brain Dead and so on and on played live...

[@dlux626]

Metal can’t die, it’s always been dead. It’s just a little more rotten.

[@riz040]

Only 40 minutes of Exodus? F*ckin ripoff

[@ruddmedia]

seen exodus tons of times personnel friends with gary holt dont care for bls or anthrax tbh so hard pass on this tour for me!