Heavy Metal Genealogy: Gary Holt Is Also Lord Rathmore
The metal mega-superstars of the post-Maiden era had their own personas. (I’m not writing personae.) Metallica was the big brother, Anthrax were the merry jesters, Megadeth hated everybody. Exodus was kind of a combination of these, an integral part of the SF metal scene who started with Bonded by Blood and evolved into having Good Friendly Violent Fun, especially with “Toxic Waltz,” a song about moshing that was also a satire of ’60s dance crazes, written by guitarist Gary Holt.
Holt is arguably the most famous of the band, certainly their anchor, as their lead guitarist and main songwriter, though he took an eight-year much-needed break with Slayer (this sentence makes sense to metal fans). I always liked Gary Holt, I didn’t follow Exodus’ career as closely as, say Anthrax’s, possibly (probably) due to NYC hometown pride, but Gary in particular always struck me as someone who was smarter than the average bear and although he did his own toxic waltz, seems to have come through the other side.
So who created this metal mastermind, a man who can thrash with the best of ’em and also write really entertaining Instagram posts? FWIW, Gary’s family is pretty much split down the middle, with his father’s side being English and Scotch-Irish from the South, and his mother more German-Dutch from Illinois and Pennsylvania. (I don’t…
