When it comes to breakups, retirements, and lineup changes in metal, it’s probably best to live by the old saying “never say never.” No one ever truly goes away and eventually old school lineups more often than not get back together. Yet if you’re an Exodus fan that secretly (or not so secretly) hopes they’ll get back together with Steve “Zetro” Souza someday, you may want to avoid holding your breath for that because the man himself says he isn’t interested in the slightest.
During the most recent episode of Souza’s YouTube series Zetro’s Toxic Vault (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), the ousted vocalist laid it all out while chatting with his co-host Walter Morgan. And while addressing his departure, he said in no uncertain terms that he “did not quit” the band and that he “was let go.”
You’ll remember that Exodus announced back in January that they were no longer working with Souza and were instead reuniting with Rob Dukes as their vocalist moving forward. It was a move that most people didn’t see coming at all.
In the weeks since, people on both sides of the conversation have shared their side of what went down. In Souza’s YouTube video, he shared some more details.
“I don’t read much of what goes on the Internet. With no disrespect to anybody, I don’t give a fuck what anybody thinks about me or what you say… But I was made privy by my son of something Gary [Holt, Exodus guitarist and main songwriter] had responded to me saying that I didn’t quit; I was let go. And I have to agree with his analogy. Being in a band is like a marriage — it truly is — and the marriage was over. And it was. Now, I was never gonna quit, meaning maybe I guess I would never leave the marriage, for whatever reason. But I truly think that it was probably the right thing for me especially, and I hope it’s the right thing for them as well.”
That bit about the marriage “being over” was a reference to an interview with Gary Holt that had made the rounds online. In that conversation, Holt said being in a band was like being in a marriage and that by the time they’d decided to walk away from Souza, the relationship had deteriorated beyond repair.
In the wake of his ousting, Souza said he’d received calls from the people closest to him to find out if he was okay. And while I’m sure it wasn’t a pleasant thing to go through, the vocalist said he’s largely been alright with the result.
“People were calling me — my friends and my family — asking me if I was okay. And I was fine. I was, like, ‘I’m great.’ I’m really, really happy and more content. And again, we’re in April now, and this went down in January. And actually, I knew in December — I knew before anybody knew, before it was announced. And I was cool with it.”
Speaking directly to fans, Souza said he was going to miss playing for Exodus’ followers. Yet continually touring as much as the band requires was too much for him and he’s happy to just spend more time with the people he loves.
“What I liked when I was younger in my twenties and my thirties are not necessarily what I’m into anymore. I love my family. I mean, I came home and got married to Vickie, who I’ve been with for 17 years, and she is the love of my life. And you know how hard it is to go away from the love of my life at this point, at 61 years old for five weeks, six weeks at a time? It wasn’t easy for me, even though it may not have shown on stage, and it definitely didn’t show when I was with you guys, with you fans, and anybody that approached me because I would never want anyone to have an awful experience with me. But I think it was time, honestly.”
After sharing some of the intensely personal life milestones he’s missed over the years while on tour, Souza addressed directly whether he’d ever return to Exodus or not. His answer was pretty straight forward.
“Will I ever grace the stage with them? No, definitely not. I think it’s been done. This was the third time that I had joined the band, so I think it would be a bit redundant to try to do this or do this again. So just so you guys wanna know, I have no desire to do that ever again. It’s been done. If you saw my last concert in Los Angeles at the Regent [in December 2024], then you truly saw the last concert that Zetro will ever sing with Exodus.”
