Holt‘s memoir, “A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage to Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way”, was released on April 1 via Hachette Books.

In the book, which features a foreword by former EXODUS and current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, Holt presents an entertaining, personal memoir detailing his “destruction-laden” life and the origins of the thrash metal scene from the San Francisco Bay Area to its world dominance.

During an appearance on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast earlier this year, SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt reflected on the band’s two reunion performances last year — on September 22, 2024 at the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois and on October 10, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. Holt, who is also a longtime member of EXODUS, said: “Well, it had been years, but we rehearsed really hard for those shows. We put in the effort. I never stopped. I was on tour with EXODUS a month after the final SLAYER show. Only the pandemic slowed me down. So, my chops were up. So, it was just refamiliarizing yourself with the material a little bit.”

Asked if he was surprised when he got the call letting him know that SLAYER was planning on returning to the live stage, Gary said: “Absolutely. People say, ‘Oh, this and that. You planned this all along.’ I’m like, look, I knew a little while before everybody else, but I didn’t know forever. I knew early enough to sit down at home and start studying the songs, ’cause I wanted to be really prepared. But, yeah, I was surprised.”

Holt continued: “I’m sure there were offers for the band forever, but they felt like it was time, and I’m more than happy to do it. And at least as of now, the current method, which has been (for SLAYER to play) a brief, minor, small little couple of shows every year, that’s fine because I’m fully committed to EXODUS. And so it allows me to do that and then go out (with SLAYER) and play with fire, which, that shit’s expensive. EXODUS does not get pyro.”