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Hatriot (l-r): Kosta Varvatakis, Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, Cody Souza, Nick Souza and
Miguel Esparza

Irrespective of whether Exodus will continue to exist however, as has been stated, the vocalist would decline a potential opportunity to return to the outfit’s ranks. “I couldn’t do it because of the timing,” he reasons. “If he came up to me and said ‘Hey Zet, we’re gonna do this this tour. It’s gonna be 25 dates, and it’s gonna be a retro of what we did. We’re gonna perform Fabulous Disaster (January 1989), Pleasures Of The Flesh (October 1987), and things like that, but it’s only gonna be 25 dates,’ then I would say ‘Yes’ in a minute. However, if he was to say ‘Hey, I want you to rejoin the band. We’re gonna write some songs,’ then I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. I’ve put too much into Hatriot with these kids, and got them all going. I’m not gonna screw that up, no way. The fans have been waiting too long, and I’ve been waiting too long for it. That’s where I am right now as far as I’m concerned, definitely. Even as far as Dublin Death Patrol, people would like to see that again but I wouldn’t like to do that again. That’s over with, over and done. I wouldn’t step back into the ring with those guys.

“It’s time for Hatriot to reign right now, and that’s where my mind is completely. Every day is Hatriot business. I’m doing several interviews at the moment with various media, and it’s all Hatriot man. It’s all about this band that I’m doing right now. This isn’t a project where in 2014 I’m gonna get back with Jed Simon and the guys in Tenet, and do that. I’m not doing that either; I’m gonna be doing Hatriot from hereon out.”

The fact that sons Cody and Nick feature among Hatriot’s ranks might be a factor in Steve’s decision, but he insists that this isn’t the case. “I don’t think that would matter, because we’ve talked about the boys not playing with me anymore,” he explains. “I’ve said ‘If three to four records down the road you get a bigger offer – if Ozzy (Osbourne) wants to take you out or something like that – then it doesn’t matter.’ Honestly, Hatriot revolves around Kosta and Zet. That’s who Hatriot revolves around. Those are the guys that write the songs, and set the songs up. It’s a double-plus that both of my boys are in the band, it really is. For the press it’s great, and for me it’s awesome because I’ve come full circle. It’s a great thing to play thrash metal when you’ve helped innovate a sound, and now you’re gonna play with your kids who can play on your level. It’s really, really good. My take is that even if they weren’t there though, I would still probably have the same take, definitely so.

“I really wouldn’t want to let Kosta down. I’ve brought him into this, and I’ve made him sacrifice other things to believe in me and listen to what I’ve said, and what I can give him. He’s done that, and now things have happened for him in the last year and a half musically that have never happened for him in the 24 years he’s been on the Earth. That’s why he’s completely behind me. If I rejoined Exodus that would completely just shoot this thing dead, and I wouldn’t do that to them. Everybody’s worked too hard, especially myself.”

Albeit concerned about ‘shooting dead’ the quintet, such comments sharply contrast with the fact that there was a time when the Hatriot frontman simply didn’t wish to be included among the line-up of a given band. “It’s not that I didn’t wanna do it,” he elaborates. “It was that I didn’t wanna have to go through all of the hassles of – like I said – coming up with the name, having an artist design the logo, hiring players that were worthy to play on my level, finding a studio to practice in, writing songs, and just all these things that go into starting a new band. I’ve done all those things before. I was very reluctant to do all that again, but as I did it and was doing it more and more, and got involved in writing the songs, I got more into it. I think it was my destiny, and I’m very glad that I did. I really am, and I think that there’s some force out there that got me to do this. It’s worked out very well for me, I think.”

The guitar playing of Kosta is very much in the vein of Bay Area thrash metal. “He listens to a lot of different stuff, but I know everybody’s gonna say Gary Holt,” Steve chuckles. “I’m gonna say James Hetfield (Metallica guitarist / vocalist), I’m gonna say Gary Holt, I’m gonna say Dave Mustaine (Megadeth guitarist / vocalist). I’m gonna say that he has a lot of those elements in there, but he’s very much influenced by Morbid Angel and Death and that whole Florida scene as well. I guess I would describe him as a classic Bay Area thrash guitar player. That’s how I would describe him.”

Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza

Hatriot’s inaugural line-up included guitarist Andrew Gage, who has since exited. “Drew is actually doing something with Glen Alvelais I think, one of the Glen Alvelais projects,” the wordsmith believes. “Drew was not a happy fellow; Drew would come to practice, and be very mean to all of the other members, yell at them, stand in front of them, and say ‘Okay, play the part.’ If they played one part that he didn’t like, he’d get so angry at them and just say ‘You’re not playing it right. You need to go home, and practice.’ He’d just scream at them. It got to the point where people were dreading coming to practice. I didn’t see it all of the time, because I would only go to practice for the first half an hour. It was at a point when they were writing songs, so there wasn’t really anything to rehearse.

“My son Cody goes to me ‘Dad, you’ve gotta come to practice.’ I go ‘Why?’ He goes ‘You’ve just gotta come to practice.’ About a week later, Kosta calls me and goes ‘I quit. I’m not playing in this band anymore. I can’t do this… The guy’s an idiot.’ I went to practice, and I watched him and observed him. It was pretty bad. It was really, really bad the way he was treating everybody, and so I had to call Kosta up and say ‘Don’t quit. You and I started this thing… I’ll talk to Drew.’ I was like ‘Drew, we have to move on man. The whole band wants to quit on me because of the way you talk to them and treat them. I can’t have that.’ He understood.”

A December 23rd, 2011 performance at The Avalon in Santa Clara, California marked the live Hatriot debut of replacement Miguel Esparza. “Miguel was a friend of Alex’,” Steve informs. “Alex knew him, and so he came in. It was probably three months before I just said ‘Okay… Yeah; you’ve got the gig.’ His personality is very much the quiet guy – really, really quiet – and that was kind of what I was looking for. I didn’t want anybody coming in, going ‘Blah blah blah.’ We had just had a guitar player who came in and berated everybody, so having a guy come in and be quiet… I loved his technique, his lead technique. He plays with his fingers on his picking hand a lot, and it’s wild. It’ll be just a flying lead, and you’ll see him pull his pick back and do something with his fingers to the strings.

“His technique is really unique, and he’s really fast. When people start to see him play, they’re gonna really like how he attacks his guitar playing. To me, Kosta is more of the pacier guy. He’s very fast, very pacy, but Miguel is just very ferocious and very precise, and he’s an awesome player. As far as writing, Kosta writes everything – all the music on Heroes Of Origin was written by Kosta. I wrote all of the lyrics obviously, but Kosta wrote all of the riffs. He puts all of the picking together, everything. He’ll tell Nicholas what drum part to play and what drums he’s hearing, and if he doesn’t pick it up he’ll get his ass behind the kit and play it. There’s a lot of great musicianship in there; Miguel is very quiet. Miguel will come in and not say much, which is good because between myself, the other Souza boys, and Kosta there are enough voices in the room. It works out really well.

“Miguel came into the band right after the writing of the songs, but he’s become very much a part of what we’re doing. Everybody is. This is a really, really solid band; when you watch us play or you see us rehearse, everybody is in tune with each other. I don’t know how to explain it, but everybody gets it. It’s not like ‘Oh man, you fucked that part up. How come you’re not onto it?’ We don’t really make a statement of practising anymore. With the songs that we’ve already written, they sound pretty tight every time we play them because I want professionalism from everybody always, and they know that. When they come to practice or the shows or whatever, they bring their A-game always. Always the A-game.”

Miguel and Kosta are both non-US citizens. “Kosta is Greek,” the Hatriot mainman tells. “He’s full Greek; his parents are from Greece and in his house they speak Greek. Miguel is Mexican, and Miguel’s parents speak Spanish. I met Miguel’s father at a Hatriot gig, so I guess you would have to say they’re very much wrapped up in their heritage. Me and my boys are just second and third generation Portuguese-Americans, but we don’t speak Portuguese – we’re just Americans. Those two have the most ethnic history I guess.”

The age range of Steve’s bandmates is relatively young; 24 (Kosta), 22 (Cody), 20 (Miguel), and 19 (Nick) to be exact. “Brand new parts, just like I said,” he enthuses. “A brand new hot rod, with brand new parts. They’ve still got 20 years of steel and metal to go, so it keeps my longevity. If I go another 20 years, I’ll be 68 (laughs). I just saw that concert with Led Zeppelin at the John F. Kennedy Center (on December 2nd, 2012 in Washington, DC), and they were great. I can still do it, I know I can. I do three miles every day, so I know I can do it. I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been. I’m singing better than I ever have, so bring it on. Bring it.”

Hatriot’s moniker is lifted from the Exodus composition ‘Scar Spangled Banner’, the number inaugurating Tempo Of The Damned. “The word comes from ‘Scar Spangled Banner’, but I knew coming up with the name people would ask me where it comes from,” the singer recognises. “To me, this is my explanation for it, and that’s at least where we’re coming from. A couple of tracks on the record are political, a couple of them are social, and a couple of them are not. Whatever intrigues me I guess is how I go at it, but I’m not trying to make a political statement by my band’s name by any means. It doesn’t have to be that way. A hatriot though is a person who loves his country, but doesn’t necessarily agree with the hypocrisies of the government or the police, or anybody that has a position of power, and takes it and abuses it in a corrupt way.

Miguel Esparza

“I’ll give you a great example. Do you know who Jesse Ventura is? He was a wrestler, and the Governor of Minnessota. I would call him a hatriot, a guy who loves his country and went to war (Vietnam) for his country. He’s not really thrilled about how they run it though. We’ve taken our flag, and it’s not an American flag – it’s a Hatriot flag. A lot of people say ‘You’re taking our flag upside down and burning it. You don’t do that in the United States.’ We say ‘No… It’s a Hatriot flag.’ The American flag is all pretty, flying with stars. You can notice that ours has pentagrams in it, although after this record the flag will evolve. You probably won’t see the flag much anymore. It’s the first chapter of Hatriot and it’s a piece of it, but it’s not something where in ten years you’ll see a new, reimagined version of the flag or something like that. The next record will be whatever the next record’s going to be. We’re very much moving on.”

An inaugural four-track demo arrived in 2011. “We were excited going into that, because we knew that the songs were really good and that because of the internet and because of my history, it would probably get a quick, good, solid look,” Steve reminisces. “Going into that, we knew that we had to make it really, really special and really good. I think the pressure level started there, honestly. My memories of it are very solid, very, very solid memories. Everybody came in, and did their jobs correctly. We just went in at it, and did it as a bunch of professionals would do.”

Opening tune ‘The Fear Within’ didn’t appear on 2013 debut full-length Heroes Of Origin, the only one not to do so. “Three of the tracks (‘Weapons Of Class Destruction’, ‘Globicidal’, and ‘The Mechanics Of Annihilation’) that were on the demo are on the record, and they’re actually better,” the composer remarks. “Obviously, you get to work on them and get to do them again. I thought the drumming on them were much heavier than they were on the demo. I thought Alex was a great drummer and I didn’t want to replace him, but then as soon as Nick came in it changed the sound of the band. He hits harder, and his rolls are more pronounced, proud. You can hear them better. Like I said, he’s much of a thrash drummer than Alex was. Alex was more of a death drummer, techno-death, who could play thrash. Nicholas is a straight up thrash drummer.

“We’ll be putting ‘The Fear Within’ on the next album. I didn’t want to use it. I just felt that Heroes Of Origin was a really, really heavy album, and I wanted to keep it that way. I wanted to also keep that song, because it’s very much a progression for the second record. I like it. I want them to rewrite some guitar parts to it, and make it really, really cool. There’s a lot of other things I want to do vocally on it as well, so it’s definitely gonna be a second album song.”

A performance video was filmed for the track ‘Blood Stained Wings’. “We had recorded that demo, and I knew that we were gonna sign a record deal,” Steve discloses. “I wanted to give the fans and the people that had helped start it, and were on our website – and the people that had supported us – one more free thing. Instead of just releasing it on the website like I had done with the demo, I wanted them to see us. I wanted them to be able to look at us, so I hired Mike Sloat who did all of Machine Head’s last few videos and ‘Native Blood’ (from July 2012’s Dark Roots Of Earth) for Testament. I hired him to come in, and paid for it out of my own pocket. It wasn’t really an over-expensive, elaborate video. It was just a chance for people to look at us and see what we look like.”

It was revealed on July 13th, 2012 that Hatriot had inked an album contract with Massacre Records. “We got a few offers,” the co-founder notes. “SPV / Steamhammer made an offer, and there was one more that was interested. I think Massacre was really behind it more, and they were very excited about it. They’re working with us; everything we’ve done, they’ve worked with us on it. It’s not becoming a struggle to get things done, or to do things with them. They’re very much behind it. We just approached them, because we want to do a video for the album. We figured they would probably say no, but we asked them for the money and they said ‘Yes, no problem. They’re gonna do 500 numbered vinyl copies which they said that they don’t ever do for a debut band ever, so they’re behind it very much and I want that. I want that.

Kosta Varvatakis

“I think us, my name, my history, what I’ve done in the past, and what I bring to the table now is gonna work with them. It’s not a long deal; it’s two records, and a third on our part. If somehow the marriage didn’t seem to work all that well… Which again, I don’t think is gonna happen. Their promises have been great, and we’ve been really happy with them and really pleased. We hope that they’re gonna continue to step up to the plate, and they have. I think we’ll be okay, and again, because of my name and because of playing in Exodus, that’s gonna obviously create some interest and some type of buzz. I kind of got the feeling that people are gonna want to see that and hear it, and if it’s good then they’re gonna like it. I think we’ve delivered, I really do.”

A thrash unit first and foremost, Hatriot nonetheless incorporate additional musical elements into their compositions. “There are other elements in it; there’s blast beats in it, and there are very much modern elements in it,” Steve contends. “With the guitars, there’s a breakdown in one of the songs. So yeah, the guys listen to what’s going on today. It’s not that we’re just a thrash band. We’re definitely a classic 80s Bay Area thrash band, but probably something you haven’t heard since the 80s. That’s probably the way I’d say it, but I still think it’s very much modern, new and fresh, especially with kids in the band.”

Less discerning listeners might perhaps mistake debut proper Heroes Of Origin for a new Exodus platter. “You know you’re gonna hear that; you know you’re gonna hear that,” the vocalist agrees. “I’m sure it is. Of course it is, but you’ve gotta remember: I played in Exodus for all those years, so any rhythms or riffs that sound even remotely close to it and you hear my vocal over it, you’re gonna think that. When King Diamond left Mercyful Fate and started King Diamond, it kind of sounded the same didn’t it? You wouldn’t say Andy LaRocque (King Diamond guitarist) was ripping off Hank Shermann (Mercyful Fate guitarist), would ya? Not really. I look at it the same way. I don’t write the riffs – Kosta does.

“Does it sound a lot like Exodus? It sure does, but it sounds a lot like other bands too. I could pull Megadeth out there. I could listen to the record, point to certain songs, and say what you’ve heard before. All the way through, from Slayer to Megadeth, from Metallica to Exodus, and from Testament to Legacy – all over the thing. It’s a classic record with classic stuff on it, and it sounds great. It’s a guy who has written songs from being a well-schooled thrash student. You want to talk about Kosta? Yeah, Kosta’s thrash. Kosta listens to thrash – that’s what Kosta’s deal is. That’s obvious. Kosta’s a thrash man; he knows about all of the thrash bands, from Sepultura to Death. He tells me about these thrash bands from the 80s that I don’t even fucking remember, but he knows them.”

Steve’s comments suggest Kosta is a student of the thrash game, so to speak. “Very much so, very much so,” he affirms. “That’s why it’s good, really good. We didn’t get lucky. We didn’t get lucky with the ten songs, because I can tell. I know my record’s good. I think it’s the best record I’ve ever recorded, and the way I look at it is ten killers, no fillers on this album. That’s how we approach all of our writing, and so the next record is gonna have ten killers and no fillers on it. These kids are well versed in thrash, and obviously I’m well versed in thrash. I don’t see us sweating or getting tired.”

Dubbing Heroes Of Origin the greatest full-length the Hatriot frontman has cut to date is a courageous statement, given that the record’s potential merits have to be weighed against the potential merits of Exodus studio offering two through to six. “I love everything I did with Exodus, but honestly this is the best record I’ve ever done vocally, lyrically, musically,” he reiterates. “The only thing close is probably Fabulous Disaster or Tempo Of The Damned, and if you listen to Tempo Of The Damned and then listen to this record, you’d probably think that this record would be the next progression from that. If you listen to Tempo Of The Damned and then Heroes Of Origin, you’d think that it was the same band one right after the other, but it’s not. At least I’m delivering. I’m giving the fans what they want. It’s what’s in my heart, anyway. It’s what I play, and that’s why it works so good for me in Hatriot.”

A misinformed interviewer labelled Steve a thrash revivalist, despite the fact he was part of thrash’s inaugural wave and has continued to extol its virtues over the years. “That’s basically what it is,” he examines. “It’s just I’m carrying on with what I’m doing, because it’s what I do. If this was to be an Exodus album everybody would be going fucking apeshit, going ‘Oh my God. They’re back, they’re so back. Did you hear the new Exodus album?’ It’s not an Exodus record though. It’s a Hatriot record, but in the same vein of that. I still think people are gonna go ‘I don’t care. It’s fucking awesome; it fucking kills.’ This record does kill; I’m very proud of this album. I know when I do something good, and this record is really, really good. I’m very proud of it, very, very much so, and I think that you’ll be getting nothing but more of the same here.”

Exodus 1987 (l-r): Tom Hunting, Gary Holt, Rick Hunolt, Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza and
Rob McKillop

Heroes Of Origin isn’t an Exodus outing however, Rob Dukes helming vocals in that ensemble. Rob has his supporters, but the Exodus frontman equally has his critics. “A lot of people don’t like his singing,” the Hatriot lyricist seconds. “What I hear the rap is on him is that he’s a voice there over the music, but that he brings nothing special to the table. That’s the rap on him, but I’ll just say this in his defence. He was there when I couldn’t be there, and for the band to carry on they needed somebody like him. For the eight years that he has been there he has done a good job, and he’s tried.”

When Pleasures Of The Flesh debuted in 1987 Steve equally drew the ire of certain critics, critics who preferred the voice of the late Paul Baloff. Paul’s lone Exodus studio appearance arrived in the shape of April 1985’s Bonded By Blood, Exodus’ inaugural studio opus, Pleasures Of The Flesh being their second. “I’m not naïve to that,” Steve acknowledges. “Definitely not. It took about a year or two before people really accepted me. It took Fabulous Disaster to come out before I was full-on the singer of Exodus. It took a little while because of the way he approached it and stuff and I knew that, but I made my own mark with that band and very much so. I created my own sound with that band as well, which I think I am carrying on in Hatriot.”

The Hatriot mainman and Paul were on friendly terms. “Very much so,” he underlines. “We were great friends. Me and Paul knew each other very, very well. Hell yeah.”

Steve’s memories of Paul are “only crazy ones (laughs). Paul was a nutjob, crazy. He liked to drink and party, let’s just say that. He had this house in Oakland called the Hell House, and you would go there on a Friday night. There would literally be half an inch of water on the floor from booze and people dragging in shit. It was wild. He had this wolf dog, and it went everywhere. Yeah, Paul was a crazy guy (laughs). Those are some good memories. It’s too bad he’s not around anymore.”

The fact that Bonded By Blood would prove to be Paul’s lone studio effort proper as part of the Exodus camp is a great shame. “There are some people that think that, and that’s true,” Steve appreciates. “I have no problem with that, because I am the biggest fan of that. That’s what got me into the band, was that fucking album. Are you kidding me? This band wanted me, so I felt honoured and respected because of that. It just thrives in me. Like I said, I’ve done so many other projects. I tried to shut it down but I couldn’t, so that’s why I’m so into it. I’m very much focused on Hatriot, and I’m very much focused on what’s gonna happen.”

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