Exodus bandleader and Slayer guitarist Gary Holt is telling his life story. The thrash legend has announced his forthcoming memoir, titled A Fabulous Disaster after Exodus’ third album featuring their signature song “The Toxic Waltz.”
The book, which features the subtitle From the Garage to Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way, promises a warts-and-all perspective on Holt’s rise to fame, covering “every aspect of my life,” according to the guitarist, “the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.”
The memoir also includes contributions from some of Holt’s famous friends, including Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, who played in Exodus before making the big leap to his current band, and Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe, who shot the cover photo.
The official summary reads: “In A Fabulous Disaster, Holt shares a deeply personal account of what it was like to ‘live fast, play fast, and crash hard’ as thrash metal dominated the globe. Holt’s ‘destruction-laden farce’ follows our narrator through the highest of highs and lowest of lows as he and his bandmates juggle major label contracts, MTV-sponsored tours and festivals, growing addictions to alcohol and meth, and the loss of key founding members.
“In the throes of addiction, Holt’s own fall from grace is swift; one year, he’s playing on the MTV Headbanger’s Ball Tour with Anthrax and Helloween, and the next, he’s struggling to find minimum wage jobs as he battles drugs, divorce, and the dissolution of his creative prospects. Ultimately, after the tragic death of one of his closest friends and former bandmates — Holt decides that enough is enough and realizes the only one who can save him is himself. Newly sober and determined to resurrect his career, he commits himself to Exodus, pushing the band to new heights. He then joins Slayer, one of metal’s biggest bands, and plays massive venues around the world, including Madison Square Garden.
“After Slayer’s unexpected retirement, Holt devotes his attention full-time to Exodus once again, recording and playing with more passion than ever before. An ‘unadulterated odyssey through decades of insanity,'”‘ punctuated by Holt’s unique insight and knack for storytelling, A Fabulous Disaster is a thrill ride from start to finish. His story proves that redemption — even from the pits of rock ‘n’ roll excess — is always possible.
A Fabulous Disaster is due out April 1st via Hachette Books and available for pre-order from Barnes & Noble.