We recently caught up with Rick Hunolt, legendary guitarist from Exodus and now a driving force behind the new project Nefarious. From thrash metal roots to underground raves, Rick opens up about the past, present, and future with raw honesty and contagious energy.
Photo Credit to Phuckit Photo
So it’s the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Do you remember seeing that in theaters?
Rick Hunolt: Of course! It blew my mind. Freaked me the hell out, bro. It was awesome. One of the greatest movies of all time, no doubt.
What other movies impacted you as a kid?
The Omen and The Exorcist—those were crazy. But also The Basketball Diaries. Leonardo DiCaprio was like 15, playing a heroin addict who’s also a basketball prospect. It’s one of his best performances ever. That movie stuck with me hard.
After a 20-year hiatus from recording thrash, what was it like getting back in the studio?
Man, it felt like being reborn. A thrash metal revival. I’d recorded with Die Humane, which was cool but different. When Doug hit me up about Nefarious, I was all in. We didn’t care what anyone else in the genre was doing—we just did what we know: raw, old-school thrash. That’s what you hear on Addicted to Power.
You and Doug Piercy clearly have chemistry. What makes that dynamic work?
One word: respect. We don’t compete. Doug shreds those fast, arpeggiated solos, and I stick to my slow-hand melodic style. We know our lanes, and that balance works. We’ve known each other for like 40 years, man.
You’ve mentioned how challenging it was to mix the record. What was the hardest part?
Making everyone happy. All five of us are passionate, and everyone wants their parts to be heard. Our engineer, Damian Rasmussen, did an amazing job juggling all our input. The songs went through so many rounds—it’s a long process, but worth it.
You’ve played with Exodus recently. How do you balance the nostalgia with pushing Nefarious forward?
I’ll always be part of Exodus in spirit. When Gary calls me to jam, I’m down—it’s fun. But Nefarious is new, and it lets me create again. I hope it gets some traction. A Nefarious + Exodus bill? That would be killer.
Let’s go back. Stevenson Alley. Early ’90s. Raves?
Oh my god! Jerry’s warehouse. Yeah, that was me! Exodus was on a break, and I fell in love with house music. The scene was magical—Santa Cruz beaches, underground warehouses… wild times. I wasn’t playing much then, just dancing and being crazy.
What’s your current rig for getting that classic tone?
Right now, I’m using an EVH 5153 Stealth EL34 head, running a Quad Cortex in the loop—but just for leads. Rhythm tone? That’s old school: Tube Screamer straight into the front, with a Decimator G-string noise gate. It’s savage.
You’ve laid down some iconic solos with Exodus. Is there one solo in particular you’re most proud of—either in how it came together or what it means to you?
Man, there’s a lot. I really like my work on Changing of the Guard. Also, Within the Walls of Chaos—that’s a cool one. But honestly, most of the stuff I did…I’m most proud of all the solos I did on Tempo of the Damned. When I listen to that album now, it makes me want to cry, dude. I can feel the pain in every note I played, because I was a mess at the time. I knew my time in Exodus was coming to an end. That was the last record I ever did with them, and I knew it was gonna be the last. When I hear it now, I go, “Wow… listen to that.” You can feel the pain, bro. It’s crazy. But yeah—those solos are iconic. I love them.
Every band has its peaks and growing pains. Do you have a favorite Exodus album — and maybe one that didn’t quite turn out the way you envisioned at the time?
Everyone likes to talk negatively about Force of Habit, probably. I think that record is just a sign of the times. You know, we had signed with Capitol Records, and it was just… yeah, it was a sign of the times. It wasn’t that we were trying to be commercial — it just was what we did at that point.
To be perfectly honest, we were all using pretty heavily back then. So yeah, I’d have to say Force of Habit, because I’m still not really stoked on the vocals. I just have a hard time listening to that record; the vocals aren’t that great. But, you know, like you said — every band has that one album.
And your favorite one?
That’s a tough question. If you’re talking about iconic status and what it did musically for the heavy metal genre, I’m gonna say Bonded by Blood, no question. It’s kind of a groundbreaking record — like the first Slayer album.
But my personal favorite might be Fabulous Disaster.
People always talk about the Big Four of thrash metal globally, but from your perspective, who are the Big Four of Bay Area thrash? Do you think that list is still the same today as it was back in the ’80s?
Metallica—you know, for sure—Metallica isn’t really from the Bay Area, right? They’re from L.A., but they relocated up here. Testament, for sure. I don’t really consider Machine Head a thrash band, but they’re a huge influence in our scene here. I’d say: Testament, Forbidden, Machine Head, and Vio-lence.
You once compared the Bay Area thrash scene to the rave scene—so be honest: who in NEFARIOUS (besides yourself) is most likely to show up to rehearsal in neon pants, glowsticks in hand, ready to drop some old-school riffs and beats?
Not one person. Nobody. My answer is absolutely nobody. That’s hilarious, dude. Yeah, just me.
Thanks for your time. Do you have anything coming up on the live horizon?
It’s challenging because we have to work around Hirax and Death Angel’s schedules, but we’re making it happen. We’re trying to play as many shows as we possibly can. We’re booking out the rest of 2025, and then our attention will shift fully to 2026. We want to hit all the festivals—U.S. and Europe. We’ll see what happens.
Talking with Rick Hunolt is like plugging directly into the raw voltage of thrash metal history—equal parts passion, grit, and soul. Whether he’s recounting wild rave nights in San Francisco or breaking down the emotional weight behind a solo, one thing is clear: Rick’s heart is still fully in the music. With Nefarious, he’s not just reviving the sound of thrash—he’s evolving it. And as the band gears up for more shows and recordings, it’s a damn good time to be a fan.
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Categories: Interviews, Music, Nefarious
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