M.I.: Hi Gary , great honour for me to talk with you. First of all congratulations for your new album "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" it sound like another classic Exodus album. G.H.: Thank you very much Dimitris. M.I.: Your dynamic come-back continues. In less than two years you released two albums full of power and aggression. G.H.: Yeah! I am pretty flattered, you knowwe keep things rolling and find the passion. M.I.: The main and I think the only difference between "Tempo" and "Shovel" is the different line-up, you are the only original member left. So ,can you tell me the reasons that Rick Hunolt is not with the band anymore? G.H.: Rick chose to quit the band to be able to stay at home and caress for his two sons, I understand him because he loves those kids to death, but they don't have anyone else responsible at home to take care for them so the guys need him at home and there are other issues involve like Rick's drugs use which he never was able to conquer no matter how I tried to help him. I hope someday he will rise up and realise that he is going to kill himself if he continues . M.I.: What about Tom Hunting? G.H.: Tom had a mental breakdown again, the first was in 1989. You know, that these circumstances were just beyond my control. Especially things with Tom were really very difficult; I lived with him I had to watched him go through this. Seriously, he got terrible panic attacks, anxiety attacks, depression he was convinced that he's going to die, so you got the point, he couldn't play at all, he thought I was going to kill him. So, through all these problems of course there would never be a new Exodus album if he was still here. I wouldn't work with this guy again no matter how much you pay me! Through all these problems I kept working, I didn't quit, I kept things going forward even when for other bands something like what came to us means a total stop. I found new members, that's the way things happened, I got to keep the ship afloat. M.I.: That's great news for Exodus and of course for your fans. Paul Bostaph and Lee Altus are permanent members? G.H.: Yes, everybody play for Exodus, they are not hired guns! M.I.: I heard that your new vocalist Rob Duke was your guitar technician, how did you find out that he has a so excellent thrashing voice? G.H.: Oh! I didn't know it until the audition. He came and he completely killed everybody, you know sometimes lucky thinks happen. He wasn't my original guitar technician, there was another guy that he was hired on tour with Megadeth in the U.S. tour last October-November, but this guy was doing a really terrible job so I had to replace him and a friend of mine down in Hollywood recommended Rob to me so I fired the first guy and hired Rob. He expressed interest for the audition, he said that he was in punk bands and stuff in New York. I really didn't know what to expect but when he showed up he was dominating! M.I.: Are you the man that write all the music and lyrics in the new album? G.H.: I wrote all the music and Rob wrote the lyrics to "Karma's Messenger" and "Raze" with me as well, I wrote all the other stuff. You know I am very excited working with these guys for the very start we are already talking all together for the next album. M.I.: Are you played all the guitars in "Shovel"? G.H.: I played all the rhythm guitars and all the leads the solos, yes! But you know, in "Tempo" as well I played almost the 99% of all the rhythm guitars , Rick Hunolt played only about 20 seconds of them. M.I.: Andy Sneap has a big contribution to the sound of the new album G.H.: I produced this album by myself and Andy mixed it! M.I.: Oh sorry I didn't know that. G.H.: It's ok, it's not on any of the promos. You know as far as producing an album I know what I want, of course Andy knows that I do it as well, but there is no question on my mind that Andy is going to mix the record and I think he is the best. M.I.: I heard that will be a special edition of "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" with bonus tracks. G.H.: Yes. I don't know if this special edition it will be released in Europe, but the Japanese version will contain two bonus tracks, the first is a cover on Sex Pistols song "Problems" and the other is an original song that was actually recorded in the "Tempo Of The Damned" period but didn't get used on the album because there were settlement agreements between Century Media and Nuclear Blast. Rob actually wrote the lyrics and called "Purge The World" (sorry if I did not got that right!). M.I.: I don't have the lyrics of the new album yet, but allow me to ask you for some of your previous ones. On "Tempo" you used lyrics that criticized the Bush administration, do you believe that U.S.A. government pays more attention to it's senseless foreign politics and on the other hand leaves the American citizens unprotected in their fate, like in the recent New Orleans tragedy? G.H.: Yeah, I got you, but I think all the politicians do the same not only the republicans and my conclusion is that there is no politician in the U.S. is looks after my best interests. M.I.: All the pigs look alike. G.H.: Exactly!! M.I.: One of the unique elements of Exodus is that always, in all your records you have long duration songs, about 7 or 8 minutes, an ability that only you and maybe Dark Angel have in the whole thrash metal scene. Is this an answer to these people that said that thrash metal can be played only with 3 minute songs? G.H.: Yeah, I think there's nothing wrong with a good thrash epic and certainly doesn't have to be 3 minutes long but it can be 8 minutes long as well. You know, I don't really know how long a song is going to be when I start writing a song, it just kinda works out. M.I.: History tells us that Exodus is one of the biggest (along with Slayer and Dark Angel) thrash metal bands ever. How do you feel when the new bands mention Exodus as their influence? G.H.: I think it is great! Very high compliment when other bands mention Exodus as a some kind of influence of their own carriers, especially when it's band that really admire, it sure makes me feel great for what I've done. M.I.: What are your influences as a musician? G.H. As a musician my number one favourite guitar player of all time is Ritchie Blackmore and then Michael Schenker, Angus Young, Tony Iommi, Uli Roth, Mattias Jabs, Ted Nugent and musically I go back in the beginning of the NWOBHM , Venom, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, early Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and early British hardcore-punk. Now I listen to a lot of different stuff I love Dimmu Borgir, Hypocricy , The Haunded , Carnal Forge, Therion. M.I.:How do you see the thrash metal scene of today , do you believe that thrash metal has its place nowadays? G.H.: Yeah it seems like it's been kind like a thrash metal marathon going on, a lot of bands now doing their own take on thrash metal here in America like Shadows Fall, Lamb Of God and in Europe bands like Carnal Forge, The Haunted, Dew Scented and lots of the greats around Destruction, Kreator, Sodom . Plus, the original Anthrax line up is back together and of course Slayer. M.I.: You are in the music business many years, which is the most negative and the most positive experience so far? G.H.: The most positive experience is the last couple of years, you know, being embraced so warmly, putting out two albums and hearing so flattering things about them, it's so positive to me for sure. The most negative is definitely is the whole experience with Capital Records, that help drive the nail to our coffin for a while. M.I..: Is Greece in your future tour plans? G.H.: I certainly hope so, cause it's always one of the highlights for me, it's one of my favoutite places to go, but the upcoming European tour schedule doesn't allow us to get the time to come over there; but on the other hand we have to, and sure we will be there! M.I.: OK , thanks for the conversation Gary and I wish you the best. G.H.: Thank you very much Dimitris .

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