Hi Steve! As I’ve been listening to EXODUS since I’m fifteen (I remember the first time I listened to "Impact Is Imminent" like it was yesterday), it’s a great pleasure to ask you a few questions for Thrashocore! First of all, can you introduce your new band to our readers?
That is very cool and I appreciate your continued support over the years. My ‘new’ band isn’t really new anymore. We’ve been at it since 2010. The band is called HATRIOT, and we play brutal thrash metal with old school overtones mixed with newer extreme metal elements. I am obviously the vocalist. The rhythm section is composed of my two sons, Cody Souza on bass and Nick Souza on drums, and the guitars are handled by Kosta Varvatakis and Miguel Esparza.
What’s behind the name HATRIOT? When I give a look to the "Heroes Of Origin" artwork, it’s like you’ve unburied the Scar Spangled Banner … should we see in the cover and band name a criticism of your country policy?
I did take the name from the Exodus song ‘Scar Spangled Banner,’ but our band isn’t all about politics. We do touch on that from time to time, but not like people think. I thought the name Hatriot sounded cool for a thrash metal band, plus it has a connection to my days in Exodus, so it was really a no-brainer to use it. The cover art does represent chaos, but again it isn’t just a political stance. The art just looked awesome and very ‘metal’ - so we went with it.
One of HATRIOT’s singularity is the line-up, where we can find your two sons Nick (drums) and Cody (bass). Like ANTHRAX used to play, it’s Keep it in the family!
As far as I know this is the only band in metal history with a father and two sons! The funny thing is I never set out to do that. It wasn’t designed to be a marketing ploy or anything like that. Nick and Cody both tried out for their slot in Hatriot, just like anybody else would do, and they both were the best for the job. There was no nepotism at all. They earned it. I can honestly say that having both my boys in the band is one of my greatest accomplishments in life. It is just an amazing feeling to have them share a musical interest with me. Some people don’t know it, but I had to leave Exodus in 2004 to provide for my family, and now my family is in the band with me, so things have come full circle.
I noticed there were a few line-up changes since your self-titled demo last year. What happened exactly to Drew Gage and Alex Bent?
Well, it happens with any band in the infant stages, people come and go until the core line-up can be found. Alex is an amazing drummer and had a lot of offers from touring bands. He was just itching to go out on the road and didn’t have the patience to wait and build Hatriot, so he jumped ship. It worked out in the end though. We wish him well. Drew and Kosta didn’t really mesh that well together, so he had to go. I will leave it at that.
Ok, now it’s time for the Like Father, Like Son questioning : when you’re touring with your kids, how is it going? Is it like "Go to bed now! We got a show tomorrow!" or more like "Ok sons, you too deserve sex drugs and rock n’ roll" ?
My sons are both very mature and don’t really get into the partying thing. They have seen the good and bad sides of the industry and know it’s not one big party. It’s a lot of work! The relationship I have with my kids might be a lot different from what most fathers have. My sons are both my very good friends as well. I don’t really have to get into “dad mode” that often. When they need me to be dad then of course I am dad, but for the most part we are great friends and band mates. It’s not really strange like people would think. I don’t have to watch over them on the road. They are grown men now and know how to handle themselves.
Musically speaking, "Heroes Of Origin" is old school orientated, but in a fast and furious reload of 80’s classic anthems. With HATRIOT’s coming, sounds like bay area thrash is going to survive another decade!
Thrash metal will never die. It will always survive. Thrash metal fans are loyal for life. You never hear anyone say “I was into Slayer for a summer…” – fuck that - you love Slayer for your whole life! I’ve been fortunate enough to remain in this business for three decades now and I know what people expect of me and my music. There’s no need to stray from the thrash sound. It’s what I do and what I love. Remember when Rob Halford put out that industrial record in the 1990’s? People hated it! I hated it! They wanted to hear the fucking metal god, not some Nine Inch Nails sounding shit. The same theory applies to Hatriot. If you liked what I did with Exodus you will love this. It’s really that simple.
One impressive thing on your first opus is your guitar team Kosta Varvatakis/Miguel Esparza. They are still young, but they already play like thrash metal veterans! With songs such as "And Your Children To Be Damned" and "The Violent Times Of My Dark Passenger", they pay tribute to your old partners in crime, Rick Hunolt and Gary Holt …
That is exactly what we were going for. I am used to working with a guitar duo and we knew from the beginning that we wanted to structure Hatriot like that. It’s almost a given in thrash metal to have the dueling guitars. You have to have it! Kosta is a fucking musical genius. I wouldn’t even have tried to do another band had I not met him. He is skilled way beyond his years, not only in playing, but in writing and arranging as well. He writes and arranges everything in Hatriot. Miguel is an excellent second guitarist. He compliments what Kosta does very well. They are the next big guitar team in thrash. Mark my words!
As "Heroes Of Origin" is a burnt offering to "Fabulous Disaster" and "Tempo Of The Damned" addicts, I feel compelled to ask : is HATRIOT the way you always wanted EXODUS to sound like?
Anything that is heavy and thrash sounding will sound similar to Exodus with my vocals on it. That’s just a fact. I didn’t set out to sound a certain way, but Kosta is a big fan of old thrash and that’s where he draws influence from when he writes music. Put my vocals on that and you have a sound similar to what I was doing with Exodus, especially towards the end of my run with them. Think of this as “Tempo Of The Damned” part two.
So what’s the plan for next months? Intense touring? I heard you’ve already done a few shows with FORBIDDEN and TESTAMENT …
Honestly, we had hoped to be on the road by now. There have been a few offers come in, but we didn’t feel like it was right for Hatriot, so we passed on them. It is our goal to get a good booking agent on board and to get on the road. I’d love to go out as a support act for some bigger thrash bands. Testament would be great, and yes we did a show with them and it was really cool. My guess is we will be out on the road some before the end of the summer.
What’s your opinion on the new generation of thrash metal youngsters ? We’ve seen some pretty good bands coming like HAVOK or ESSENCE, but nothing as memorable as the first original wave. The lack of charismatic frontmen and vocals may be the cause? There’s definitely no "Zetro", Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth or "Dave Mustaine" to get a grip on the audience …
I think it is because we were there at the beginning when it was fresh and exciting. There are a lot of good bands now, but the world has seen it before, so there’s not the impact that there once was. On top of that you have way too many bands now, and a lack of support from the industry. It’s just a different world now. Back then our bands broke big because it was exciting and new. Times change and you just have to adapt with the technology and adapt with the scene. I think Hatriot has a good chance of being one of the bigger bands in the current scene. A lot of that is because of my name from the Exodus days. Without that on the resume I wouldn’t have even started a new band. It’s just too hard these days to break through.
When Steve Souza comes into the picture, we definitely think thrash-metal. How do you manage to keep the same performance level after all these years of practice? Tell me your secret : beer? Whiskey?
Actually I don’t drink or do any drugs at all at this point in my life. I eat healthy and jog every day as well. The only vice I have is pot. I smoke the fuck out of pot! The voice is a muscle and it gets stronger the more you use it. I just sing a lot and keep it in shape. I am always using my voice and that’s what keeps it in top form on the records and at concerts.
I always wondered, what’s behind your nickname Zetro?
That came from an acid trip I was on as a teenager. Basically I was fucked up on acid and staring into space saying ‘zet zet zet…’ I have no idea what it meant, but I was saying it and my friends started joking around and calling me Zet. Over time it became Zetro and I have had that nickname literally my whole life!
Back in the day, why did you part ways with TESTAMENT in 1985 ? I often read here and there that you introduced your own successor, Chuck Billy, before joining EXODUS. Is that true?
Well the band was called Legacy back then, and we were doing a lot of big shows around the Bay. I’d say we were on our way to success even back then, but we had no way of knowing how big thrash would become. I got a call one day from the manager of Exodus and I thought he was calling to put Legacy on a show with them, but he was asking me to audition for the band. Paul Baloff wasn’t working out and they were wanting to replace him, and I was one of their top choices. I tried out and got the gig, but honestly had to think about it for a few days before I joined. I had put so much time and money into building Legacy and I didn’t want to let that go. I knew Chuck from way back when we were kids. His dad was my little league baseball coach. Chuck had a band called Rampage and he was wanting to do something heavier, so I hooked him up with the Legacy guys and even taught him all the material. They became Testament a year later and the rest is history!
With the all-star band TENET, you delivered your most aggressive performance to date. "Sovereign" was the perfect balance between the melodic side (Glen Alvelais) and modern riffing (Jed Simon). Can we expect another full length in a near future?
Tenet is really just a Jed Simon solo project. He had a deal with Century Media lined up and they wanted a known vocalist for the project, so he called me up and I agreed to do it. It’s the only album I have ever done that I didn’t write any lyrics for. I didn’t write one single word. I sang what was given to me. So that never really was a band. It was just a project. I don’t really see us doing another one, but if I was asked to do it and I had the time I would definitely be interested. It was a fun experience and had the best musicians I have ever played with.
Well, that will be it! Thank you very much for your time, your unique voice signature and contribution to the metal cause. A few last words for our readers maybe?
I want to say thanks to all of you that have continued to support my career throughout the years. I am back for good this time and I promise Hatriot will always deliver quality thrash metal. Please go out and get “Heroes Of Origin” and I hope to meet all of you on tour. Thanks for the interview and keep thrashing!
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