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30 май 2025
STEVE 'ZETRO' SOUZA Is Not Opposed To Playing A Few Live Shows: But 'I'm Not Jumping In A Tour Bus Again'
Backing Souza on stage at the shows — billed simply as ZETRO — will be the following musicians:
* Zakk Frye (SLIKK WIKKED) - Rythm Guitar/Backup Vocals
* Kyle Smith (SLIKK WIKKED) - Lead Guitar
* Paul "MX" Marsciano (NASTY TRAST, Joey Belladonna) - Drums
* Donny "Death" Weissinger (NASTY TRAST, HATE GRENADE) - Bass
In the latest episode of his Zetro's Toxic Vault YouTube series in which he is joined by his longtime friend and co-host Walter Morgan, Zetro spoke about his upcoming return to the live stage. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was approached by this young man, and he asked me if I was interested in doing kind of a festival in Iowa in October. I should know the name of it, but I don't. Anyway, I thought about it, and I said, 'What do you mean?' He was, like, 'Well, we'll play backing songs, back you up,' him and his band. And so I listened to his band. He's got a good band. And I was, like, 'Yeah, okay.' One show, one-off...
"Again, I don't wanna tour," Zetro explained. "I don't wanna get on a tour bus, but I'm not opposed to going out and playing songs from [the various projects] that I've done. I've played in many, many bands, so there've been so many things I can do. So I agreed to do that. All of this stuff, if it materializes, I'll be great with it.
"So then he got ahold of me and said, 'Hey, there's this guy in South America that wants to bring you down there,'" Zetro continued. "And so he kind of made a kind of a not a written deal, just kind of a verbal deal, and it was something that I was, like, 'Yeah, if we could do that, I'm cool with it. I'll go down there.' And he wanted to do it in August and September. Now, before I could even approve anything, Cody, my son, the next day sends me a message and says, 'Hey, dad, did you see this?' He shows me a poster, and it's got the 'Tempo Of The Damned' album cover, it says 'ZETRODUS', it's got EXODUS's logo and TESTAMENT's logo and HATRIOT's logo on there. And I went, 'Whoa.' I go, 'I said I agreed to do this, but I didn't see this. I didn't approve this.' But I was not pissed off, like, 'Goddamn it, why did they…?' 'Cause if we go, we go, kind of a thing."
Souza went on to say that the South American tour is still not completely set in stone. "I just wanna be honest with you guys up front," he explained. "South America has a lot of moving parts, especially you guys in South America. I didn't see any dates. All I've seen is a poster, and it says I'm coming. I haven't seen any dates. So I'll believe this when I see it. Again, I am not opposed to doing it — five or six or seven dates in South America. I love going to South America. You guys are the greatest crowds. You know that. That's why everybody does live videos from Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo, because they're so crazy. Or Bogota, you know? And so I'm cool with that. But, again, there's a lot of things involved to get it going. Again, there's a lot of moving parts too, South America.
"So, am I gonna do this? Probably, 'cause it fits my schedule," he added. "I can do it at my own discretion. I mean, if we're doing more than five or six dates, [it's] too long, I mean, I'll go to the East Coast and hit up five or six dates. I'll go to Florida and do that. I'm not jumping in a tour bus again unless the tour bus, it's just me, my wife and my pugs, and I just don't think that the type of music that I make is gonna be able to afford me to take my own tour bus out on that. And I don't wanna do that anymore."
Zetro also revealed that there are plans to resurrect TENET, his project also featuring guitarist Jed Simon (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, ZIMMERS HOLE),drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, TESTAMENT, DARK ANGEL),guitarist Glen Alvelais (FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT) and bassist Byron Stroud (FEAR FACTORY).
"I've been been speaking to Jed and Glenn Alvelais," Zetro said. "And he was talking to Byron Stroud. For those of you guys who don't know, in 2009 I did an album with three of the four STRAPPING YOUNG LAD guys. It didn't have Devin Townsend in it. It was Gene Hoglan, Byron Stroud, Jed Simon and Glenn Alvelais, who played on [FORBIDDEN's] 'Forbidden Evil' record and also did a couple records with TESTAMENT, and some tours. So we did this record. The band is called TENET. And the album's called 'Sovereign'. It came out in 2009. We've never played have that a show for that band ever. And so now, talking to the guys, we were, like, 'Well, we should resurrect this.' 'Cause those guys are in the same mentality I am. I don't necessarily wanna hit this at hundred yards. I'll do a couple shows here or there. I'll do Milwaukee Metal Fest. I don't know if I wanna take it to Europe because that's more moving parts over there, depending. But we'll see, and then see what happens with it. And then again, I'll continue to do [my AC/DC cover band] AC/DZ. I love AC/DZ. I love singing those songs. I get to be Bon Scott for an hour and 20 minutes, or 16, 17 songs, however we do it."
SLIKK WIKKED is a metal/thrash band that was started in 2013 by Zakk Frye in Rochester, New York. Since then, they have released two EPs, including the thrash anthem "Black Wind Of Death", followed by the full-length album "Savage", all of which are available on YouTube and Bandcamp. Zakk also owns and runs 10th Ward Productions, the team helping bring Zetro back to the masses.
Dates for Zetro's tour are now being booked starting in late summer and continuing through the year. More details will be released soon.
Zakk told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "We will be performing a full 90-minute set of all the deep classics from EXODUS and TESTAMENT/LEGACY. And also ripping tunes from HATRIOT and even AC/DC. This will be an action-packed balls-to-the-wall metal show for all Zetro fans. They will not want to miss this."
Any venues interested in booking Zetro dates can contact Zakk Frye at 10th Ward Productions via [email protected].
Three months ago, it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with Souza and had welcomed back Rob Dukes.
Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which, as stated above, later became TESTAMENT). He remained in EXODUS until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes became the singer of EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and stayed until 2014, when Souza returned.
Souza discussed his most recent split with EXODUS during a previous episode of Zetro's Toxic Vault. Addressing the reasons for his departure, Zetro said in part: "I've been doing this since 1986 —1986, in June, I joined EXODUS for the very first time. I was 22 years old. I'm now 61. So to have kind of a rollercoaster ride in music has actually been kind of exciting,. It kept my life going. Certain things happen and certain things go on, and you kind of have to deal with them as they happen, like anything."
Clarifying that he "did not quit" EXODUS and "was let go", Souza continued: "I don't read much of what goes on the Internet. With no disrespect to anybody, I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks about me or what you say… But I was made privy by my son of something Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] had responded to me saying that I didn't quit; I was let go. And I have to agree with his analogy. Being in a band is like a marriage — it truly is — and the marriage was over. And it was. Now, I was never gonna quit, meaning maybe I guess I would never leave the marriage, for whatever reason. But I truly think that it was probably the right thing for me especially, and I hope it's the right thing for them as well."
Regarding his mindset after his latest departure from EXODUS, Souza said: "People were calling me — my friends and my family — asking me if I was okay. And I was fine. I was, like, 'I'm great.' I'm really, really happy and more content. And again, we're in April now, and this went down in January. And actually, I knew in December — I knew before anybody knew, before it was announced. And I was cool with it."
Speaking directly to the EXODUS fans, Zetro said: "I'm gonna miss you guys. I really am. But for me, my life has changed a lot. What I liked when I was younger in my twenties and my thirties are not necessarily what I'm into anymore. I love my family. I mean, I came home and got married to Vickie, who I've been with for 17 years, and she is the love of my life. And you know how hard it is to go away from the love of my life at this point, at 61 years old for five weeks, six weeks at a time? It wasn't easy for me, even though it may not have shown on stage, and it definitely didn't show when I was with you guys, with you fans, and anybody that approached me because I would never want anyone to have an awful experience with me. But I think it was time, honestly.
"I had told Gary, and I told them that I would like to do this till I was 70 and probably not much more than that, but I think in the back of my mind I think I was kind of already done with the rigorous life of touring, 'cause it's very demanding," Souza admitted. "And the business doesn't care about what you have going on. [I'll] give you an example — in 2016, my mother died and I was in El Salvador on tour. I should have been at her bedside, but I wasn't, because I had to do this. I've had dogs pass. I've missed graduations from my children. Any musician that has been in my position can absolutely relate with this, because it is part of it. And a lot of times people don't necessarily think of that. And then there's the guys, there's the musicians that really like to do this, and they'll go out and they'll hit it hard. They'll go from one thing to another."
Elaborating on his reasons for wanting to spend less time on the road, Zetro said: "I've changed over the past few years, even in the last 10 years since I've been back. And I think I'm more interested in what's going on in my house and around what I'm doing here. I like to see my dogs every day. I have three pugs that absolutely love. I have a grandson now. I never get to see them. I wanna see my wife every day. I wanna sleep in my bed every day. It's been something that mentally has gone on and changed. But again, I would've never quit because I'm not a quitter in that type of respect. Everybody's, 'Oh, well, you quit in 2004.' No, I had to leave the band because I had a union job, three little kids and a wife, and I was trying to balance working as a foreman, as a union job, being a father, coaching baseball and soccer, and being a husband and playing in EXODUS, and I couldn't balance all three. The thing that I loved the most was playing in EXODUS, but, unfortunately, it could not take care of my wife and my kids and ballerina signups, baseball signups. The business wasn't paying that much at the time, so I needed to go and take care of my family… So coming back into the band in 2014, kids are grown, I'm set in my job. I was very, very excited. And again, I had a really good time over the last 10 years playing in the band. And it was one of those things that I have to say I'm kind of glad that I've ended up where I'm at right now, I don't like airports anymore. I don't like sleeping on the tour bus anymore… So I'm not saying that this was a decision that I would've made, but I'm saying for myself and to have a few months to look at it, it was definitely the right decision."
Souza went on to say that EXODUS fans should continue to support the band now that Dukes has returned to the group.
"I look at it now as, what about all you guys that are big fans of Rob's era? Just think — now you get to come back and see Rob maybe for the next 10 years and see him continue on," Zetro said. "So if you were fans of his era, like you were fans of my era, or both eras — I know there's some of you [that are] 'I'm [Team] Zetro' or 'I'm [Team] Rob', or whatever, 'I'm cool with whatever EXODUS does,' I get it. And I totally understand that, and I respect every one of you for those things. But now maybe for the last part of the band they get to enjoy Rob and Rob's era of the band. I mean, Gary's gonna continue to write music and record music. And Gary Holt doesn't know how to write a shitty riff. Okay? So you EXODUS fans know what you're gonna get from that, and that's what I have to say."
Souza also addressed the possibility of another reunion with EXODUS down the line, saying: "Will I ever grace the stage with them? No, definitely not. I think it's been done. This was the third time that I had joined the band, so I think it would be a bit redundant to try to do this or do this again. So just so you guys wanna know, I have no desire to do that ever again. It's been done. If you saw my last concert in Los Angeles at the Regent [in December 2024], then you truly saw the last concert that Zetro will ever sing with EXODUS."
Zetro added that he went out on top, both in term of his live performance with EXODUS and his relationship with the band's fans.
"If you saw us on the last tour with HAVOK, then, honestly, I was singing better than I've ever sung through the years," Souza said. "So I don't feel that it was something that, vocally… I did my job — I did my job quite well — and even they'll tell you that. And the fans, you guys know that I bring it. Every time I come, I bring it. And that's just the way it is. And if you walked up to me for a picture or an autograph, I never would say no and I've never pushed you guys away. I would hang out and talk to you about stuff. How many of you fans have spent time after the show talking to me about whatever? Horror, movies, metal sports, whatever. I'll sit out there and talk to you guys 'cause I've never considered myself above anybody."
Asked what specifically he didn't enjoy about the touring lifestyle, Zetro said: "Too much time in the day. Waiting to wait. It's a lot of waiting. Going to an airport, waiting four hours for the flight, getting on the flight for five hours, getting to where you've gotta go. Then you have another six-hour layover before you have another five-hour flight. And line one, line two, security this, security that. I don't have the patience for that anymore. The bus — I know this sounds very pompous. I was very fortunate to get to tour in a bus. I know bands that do not tour in buses… But for me, the bunk started to be very, very uncomfortable. And the only time I could get in there was when I truly had to sleep. But as soon as I woke up, I got up. So there's too much time in a day for you to go to museums or comic bookstores or me to go buy toys and whatever I do on the road. It is just a lot of downtime, and I feel as now 61 years old, I wanna do other things in that downtime. And I don't wanna be doing this, and all of a sudden I end up getting sick or my wife end up getting sick and one of my children, and I have to come home and I've got six months to live, or they've got six months to live and I've missed all of this with them and I missed it all. I don't want to do that anymore. I've missed too much over the years, and it's just kind of where I've been mentally — especially the last few years I've been thinking about that."
EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).
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