Gary Holt on Possible Slayer Reunion: “I Think This One’s Over”

Don’t hold your breath for a new Slayer tour anytime soon, according to the band’s former guitarist Gary Holt. Holt, who joined Slayer as a live member in 2011 and as a full-fledged member in 2013 following the passing of guitarist Jeff Hanneman. While teaching a guitar clinic on Monday, Holt was asked about the possibility of Slayer lacing up the boots again. While he sounded like he’d be down to pick up a guitar and head out with the band again, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

“Ah, man. You’ve gotta talk to other people. That’s outta my pay grade. Look, if anybody ever asked me to do it, of course I’d be down to do it. But I don’t think it’s ever gonna happen. I think the band’s ended. Unlike all the other farewell tours that started five years ago and are still continuing, I think this one’s over.”

Slayer milked the words “final” and “farewell” for everything they were worth on that last run, so it’s probably for the best that they let sleeping dogs lie. Holt also looked back on what the experience of being on the last tour was like.

“It was totally fun. I mean, it was the final, last-ever tour. It was a good time. You tried not to let it get weird on you, as far as, like, ‘This is it.’ I never really thought about it ending until the last final of the two shows. It kind of dawned on me. But that was a good one. I’ll remember that tour forever. It was fucking rad.”

In 2021, while congratulating Machine Head on their thirtieth anniversary, Kerry King said the band quit too early:

“So, I hear congratulations are in order for my friends in Machine Head. Apparently, it’s 30 years, which is quite an achievement. Not a lot of bands get there. We did… and then we quit too early. Fuck us. Fuck me. I hate fucking not playing.”

Maybe the attitude in the Slayer camp has changed since then and that’s probably for the best, especially with Hanneman gone.