Exodus’ Gary Holt Will Not Write Songs for the New Slayer Album

The new incarnation of Slayer is going to make an album, which I think is a horrible idea but I obviously don’t get a say. ANYWAY, one of the big questions with regards to the album has been whether or not Exodus guitarist Gary Holt, who has now permanently replaced the late Jeff Hanneman, would be allowed to participate in the songwriting for the record. And now we have an answer, via a new interview Canada’s Metro conducted with Slayer’s CEO and mascot, Kerry King:

“We’ve always been a two guitar attack, so if you’re looking to have a segment like the ’Angel Of Death’ lead trade-off, you can’t do that with one guitar. As far as Gary being a contributing writer, number one, fans aren’t ready for it, and number two, that’s like throwing somebody to the wolves. I think if there’s another record after this one and Gary is still with us at that point, I think that will be a time where I say, ‘Hey dude, feel free to throw any riffs my way if you’re interested’.”

I honestly can’t decide whether or not this is a wise decision. On the one hand, I get King’s point. On the other hand, Holt is an excellent songwriter — the last few Exodus albums totally slaughtered! — and since this isn’t really Slayer anyway, you might as well let the dude contribute and help ensure that your album is as good as it can be. And the other other hand, let’s be totally real here: the songs we’re all gonna wanna hear ASAP are the ones that Jeff Hanneman left behind, a couple of which, Tom Araya says, could end up on the album. So they could co-write a song with James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, and Scott Ian, and it would probably still be overshadowed by the immensity of Hanneman’s legacy and legend.

What do you think of the decision to ostensibly relegate Holt to the position of session musician? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below!

[via Metal Insider]