In a new interview with The Metal Voice, Exodus drummer Tom Hunting recalled Kirk Hammett’s place in his band and the time he left the band for Metallica.
“I was happy for him. We could kind of see that they were going to be a great band and it was a good opportunity for him, so I would never stand in the way [and say] ‘Please don’t go,’” Hunting said.
When the interviewer asked if he wasn’t sad that Hammett was leaving, Hunting replied: “Of course, because we were on a trajectory too, like on a bay area trajectory. They were getting in new halls and go to the East Coast and just like whatever be damned and they kick the door down for all the rest of us.”
“I think in that moment it was important for me to be supportive of him doing that because I knew he was replacing a well-liked guitarist and a founding member of the band. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him,” he added.
Though Hammett’s time with Exodus lasted only for around four years, the guitarist admitted that he felt guilty while leaving the band. “I have known Tom Hunting since I was 16 years old, I’ve known [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt since I was 17. We’re all close to this day, but there was a lot of guilt there for a while. A little bit of remorse. But I really felt that Metallica was my calling. I feel more comfortable playing in Metallica than I ever did in Exodus, so go figure.”
Gary Holt also shared that he and his bandmates were upset when Hammett decided to leave Exodus back in 2021. However, any hard feelings soon faded. Holt explained that Hammett’s departure ended up giving him more creative control over the band’s direction: “Yeah, I was mad for a minute, we all were. Kirk wrote everything in the early days, but I was starting to come up with my own riffs.”
“But we had a big party to celebrate at his mother’s house in El Sobrante, and it was kind of like a passing of the torch. It put me in the driver’s seat, and suddenly Exodus started going like that [makes speeding up motion with hand],” Holt added.
Exodus’ North American tour is scheduled to start at Hillsborough County, Florida on November 2. The tour ends on December 7 in Los Angeles, California.