We shall never disappoint you people

How many times have we, the journalists who interview music bands, heard that a particular album, or a live show is their best, most polished and we will be amazed aftertheir show is over. Had I time or was paid to do so, I would spend some time and write more on this issue. I want to say some promises are, so to speak a far cry from we see/hear. Of course there are exceptions too.I had never met Steve "Zetro" Souza, EXODUS` legendary vocalist before this year`s Brutal Assault Festival. This guy replaced the "cult" Paul Baloff really well, I guess. We talked a couple of hours before their show atJosefov Keep. I heard this guy is unpredictable, nervous. Well, maybe it was so in the past, as it aint true no more, right. He is a cheerful fellow, aware of his worth and proud of his family. He assured me EXODUS will kick ass that night. And that was very true, too. They did.Yeah, Kragen Lum`s guitar could’ve been set to be louder (he replaced Gary Holton who is busy with SLAYER at the moment), but you know, anyhow these Yankees stomped meinto ground. They played 5 tracks from their debut album. Two songs from Blood In, Blood Out, Deranged from their second album and finally Toxic Waltz from their third full lengther and Strike of the Beast from their debut. Hell yeah, that was good. Made my day that night, that’sfor sure. Indeed, when Zetro promises something he will keep his promise. Besides, he talks a lot about the past, his family and his favourite food.

Our magazine is called Old School Metal Maniac for a reason. Our aim is to preserve, refresh and discover good music from the past. Yet, we don’t forget about present times, either.

SZZ: That’s what I like and appreciate. Yup, that’s the right way. To talk about old times, refresh great names and places - the ones important for metal.

You were lucky to be growing up in the times andplacewhere so-calledBay Thrash Area was born. What can you tell us about those times? Did you use to go see bands at"The Stone" or "Ruthie's Inn"? Did you ever meet Debbie Abono or Wes Robinson?

SZZ: Sure,I frequented these venues a lot and I did meet Debbie and Wes. As you know, my first band was LEGACY. Back then all fans were into two bands:EXODUS and METALLICA. Everyone was like, you know, we want to be like them. Yeah, LEGACY was crazy about them, as well as DEATH ANGEL, POSSESSED, VIO-LENCE and many more. We all mimed EXODUS and METALLICA,yet more EXODUS I think, though. I loved METALLICA,but EXODUS was still my number one. I wanted to be like them. As for Debbie, she might’ve been a manager of almost every band back then, I guess. I can remembervery well when I first met her. It was at the metal party called Metal Monday. I said to my friend: hey,someone brought their grandma for the party. He said: you moron that’s DebbieAbono, she is the manager of almost of all bands which are here now, including POSSESSED. Hahaha. I was surprised, as back then Ididn’t know who POSSESSED were. Surely, I later got to know her and family rather well. Sadly she died some years ago. Many people didn’trealize how importantshe was for the metal scene. Because of her involvement, many guys still deal with metal, including me. Every single band from Bay Area owes her a lot.

Alas, I wasn’t able to followthe Bay Area growthpersonally, but I am able to partially do so thanks to Harald Oimoen and Briana Lew`s "Murder In The Front Row". Sure you know it pretty well, don’tyou?

SZZ: Yeah, seen it numerous times, signed plenty of copies of it. Quite many people have this album. A good thing to have.

Well, you mentioned LEGACY a minute ago. I know it was you who introduced Chuck Billy to TESTAMENT, didn’t you.

SZZ: Yeah indeed. I just got asked to join EXODUS and decided to give it ago. The band was called LEGACY back then, and changed their name a year later. So after a year it turned out that there was another LEGACY,a "soul music" kind of band, so the band’s name had to be changed. And thus Billy Milano came up with TESTAMENT.

Youand Chuck are still dear friends, right. And visit each other...

SZZ: I wrote lyrics for nine tracks for a new TESTAMENT album "Brotherhood of the Snakes" ha-ha.

When you and Chuck meet, do you jam or rehearse a bit?

SZZ: Surprisingly no, we don’t. We usually do something more constructive.WhenI stayed home for a longer period of time, in March or April, after LOST SOCIETY tour was over, I was free for almost three months. I wanted to chill, to recuperate, and put my mind on rest. You get me? Shortly after I got back home he called me and asked to help him write lyrics for a new TESTAMENT album. Hey, you cannot refuse when your friends need your help, so since I got home I spent every weekend at Chuck`s house, working onthe lyrics. Ha-ha. I wrote eight sets of lyrics, ha-ha. When you take a look at TESTAMENT`s new album booklet you’llsurely find this note:"Additional lyrics by Steve Zetro Souza."

Talking about the past, do you got any interesting stuff from early Bay Area times in your private archives?

SZZ: Yeah. For instance, I have a very rare VHS tape. It features what was going on at backstage at"Perkins Palace" Club, in 1988,I think. The cameraman wasJamesHetfield and he recorded us, EXODUS and M.O.D.With SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Jeff Hanneman.

We all behaved like wrestlers before a show. We said something like:see you guys in the ring next Friday, ha-ha. Man, you’d laugh your ass off if you could see it. That is what I have in my collection for example. Well, not too sure if I’d like to release it at all. Just a nice souvenir. Good times. Damn, I can still see that evening before my eyes. I am afraid I don’t have no VHS player back home to watch it. Would have to transfer it to DVD. I got some old stuff too, obviously. Plenty of.

As I can see you still remember a lot from back then. How about a book to describe all this?

SZZ: Iam asked about this issue in manyinties.Ha-ha. You know what I say? This book is being written right now. This history aint over yet. It is all still happening.

It’s been two years since you returned to EXODUS. For the third time.

SZZ: And surely the last one.

What aboutthose times? Was it worth it?

SZZ: It was better than I thought. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I didn’t know how people reacted to the band, how appreciated EXODUS was and how professional they were at the time. I think my return brought some fresh energy to the band. Of course I won’t say the band ismore awesome coz I’m back, no. I do knowI am back as a vocalist and it means a lot to many fans. To me too, apparently.Duringthose 10 years when I wasn’t in the band I kept asking myself if it was a good decision to quit. But I had kids back then who were small so I had to have quit. I’m sure if I hadn’t been with them back then, they might be some rough guys now. Thugs. So know I’m proud of my two sons and a daughter. They did well at school too.My boys are 26 and 27, have full time jobs and doing ok. Well, right nowI think it was theproper move. My ex-wife, I mean my kids` mother, was, well, so to speak, not too able to deal with my children at all. It was during Tempo of the Damned tour when trouble at home started. So after every gig I used to count down days until I could get back home. I did want to get back. Of course,I was bored, lax and pretty often just angry. And I would get calls about my sons who were constantly getting into trouble. Or that my daughter did this or that. At the end of every phone call I was always asked when I could come back and deal with them issues. Well, now they’re grown up, real good people. I divorced my wife and have a nice and beautiful gf and two pug dogs now. It all is going well so I can focus on EXODUS, tours and playing live shows. Since I got back I have played 224 gigs. I know as I been counting them. In February or March when we get home we`ll start working on anew EXODUS album.

Was to ask you about that, hey, since it’sa long time since Blood In, Blood Out was out. Do you have anything left from the session or you just gunna startfrom a scratch?

SZZ: Yeah, I think there are some leftovers but I didn’t take part in working on that stuff. I mean I did but at some later stage. I suspect Gary got some ideas from that session,who knows, maybe even whole tracks? All I did was to write lyrics for Body Harvest. I had done more before. Icomposed some music too. Gary is a good writer too and that isgood for the band, isn’t it. We do know we got to get to writing new tracks. In early 2017.

Are you aware it’s gunna be hard to beat Blood In, Blood Out?

SZZ: No worries. It’s a challenge, right? Well, let’s accept it, shall we. I fear not and nor do the guys. Ok, let me ask you a question, ok. Tell me, have I ever fucked up as a musician.Anything?

No, I don’t think so.

SZZ: TENET, HATRIOT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, LEGACY all good bands, these are really. Gary Holt is in SLAYER now and he’s doing great. All EXODUS guys have always done alright, no matter where. In EXODUS,or in other bands. Be sure of one thing, we shall not disappoint you guys.

You mentioned your sons Nick andCody. They play in a metal band called HATRIOT. How about your daughter? Is she into music too?

SZZ: Man, when it comes to music, she is the craziest Souza family member. She is almost done with her high school. Since her sixth grade she`s been singing in a choir. Now, she`s the choir leading singer. Last year, she and her choir went to Florida to take part in American School Choral Festival. They won it man, yeah. She got a classic, awesome voice. Amazing. My step children that I been living with for six years nowaren’t too fond of music. But the Souza family has music in their blood. My sons have recently released a brand new song. Cody did the vocals for it. Did you hear it?

I’m afraid I didn’t.

SZZ: Look it up onYou Tube. It’sCarnival of Execution. A really heavy and strong track. Itis taken from the album titledFrankenstein Must Be Destroyed. They made some stuff available as they aint released nothing new recently. The idea was to release a teaser and to showthey`re still alive and they record new stuff.

Well, you loved LED ZEPPELIN first the band you got to know coz of your father. Later you discovered AC/DC who you saw play live with Bon Scott.

SZZ: Yeah we seen them 5 times

When it turned out that Brian Johnson cannot sing in AC/DC no more, I immediately thought of two replacements, Mark Storace from KROKUS and you. What you think?

SZZ: Mark is a good choice. Sadly the management didn’t think so. I would gladly accept that’d bean honor. Even if I were to stay with AC/DC for one tour only.I don’t think they’ll keep working with Axel. I understand their choice and that he replaced Brian as he was really someone. So, to keep it real you need someone big, someone serious. So this is why they decided on Axel. Let`s say you tell someone it is Steve "Zetro" Souza who sings withAC/DC. Then answerwould most likely be who? Who`s he? How about Axel Rose? It’d be like wow!!! I aint seen him live with AC/DC, but from what I saw on You Tube he seemed to be doing really fine.

Do you play live with AC/DZ, the cover band of AC/DC?

SZZ: Now and then, yes. As long as I’m home long enough. After this European tour I’m supposed to have a month off so AC/DZ will play live a little for sure, it’s pure fun, I love it.

Any favourite AC/DC songs from their rich repertoire? EXODUS covered Overdose and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheapreal well.

SZZ: I love all tracks from Powerage. I love to sing What’s Next To the Moon, Down Payment Blues and Rock N Roll Damnation or Riff Raff. I also love all their fast tracks too. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, and Bad Boy Boogie are my favourite ones to sing.

AC/DC played Touch Too Much in Prague for the first time in 36 years. With Axel.

SZZ: Really? Didn’tknow that. AC/DZ plays Beating around the Bush, Night Prowler. We play tracksAC/DC that don’t play too often at their concerts. Good they changed their set list as it was high time for that. To improve, make it more varied. Axel was a good decision, indeed. But still I don’t think he’ll stay with them.

You love South Park, don’t you? Me too. What characters are your favourite?

SZZ:Hell, a tough question. Cartman is a bad ass, aint he. He’sbest. Randy Marsh and Buttersare good too. Love them. Ha-ha. All characters by Trey Parker and Matt Stone are awesome. It works well with South Park. This animated sitcom is still awesome and really good. Themfellows know their ropes, they know how to make this stuff entertaining. Every Tuesday, if I am home, Comedy Channel plays South Park almost all day long. I am all by myself, I watch it and laugh my ass off, ha-ha. Yeah this sitcom rules supreme, dude.

As far as I know, you love cooking and you`re an excellent cook. When you are on a tour abroad, do you guys like to try some local cuisine?

SZZ: Yes! Whenever we can. We were in Spain yesterday. The cook served us so-called paella with huge chunks of lobster. Before he`d showed us how big the lobster was. I took a picture coz it was just huuuuuge. (Steve showed me the picture of the lobster on his i Phone, damn, a really beast it was; we were later joined by Tom Hunting who just came over for his interview, OSMM).

It was like 180 euro. But it was worth it. Tasty. We all love sausages here in Europe. They’re awesome. We always try to check out new sorts of sausages in every single country we visit. Bulgarian and German are great. But when I am back home, I am on a diet. I eat plenty of fruits, veggies and poultry. I love spinach, I have it every day.Unfortunately, while on a tour, pizza becomes a sort of staple food. Nothingagainst it, just too much is not good for you.

In 2017 we`ll celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the amazing Pleasures of the Flesh album. Is there any chance you guys play some special live shows featuring all the songs from the said album?

SZZ: No clue now. We haven’t thought about it. I and Gary aint seen each other recently. What I know is in February, 2017 SLAYER takes a break and this is when EXODUS starts to work on their new album. Frankly, as you mentioned the issue, it would be nice to play such shows. My dream tour would feature entire "Bonded by Blood", "Pleasures of the Flesh" and "Fabulous Disaster".That’d be awesome. Today we`re going to play some tracks from those albums. Four cuts from the first album, one from the Rob’s times, as I have no problems singing his songs. Well, you’ll experience 55 minutes of great whopping, to the very last minute of it. (Itworked out like he said, indeed. OSMM).

Thanks a lot and see you on a tour in Poland.

Interview by Lesław Dutkowski

Foto Live Exodus by Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki