Although they had paid their dues, thrash metal titans like Metal Church were not automatically entitled to inherit the success of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Soon after deposing traditional heavy metal, thrash metal was decidedly no longer a lean contender. In some cases the changes were visible to the eye, as more than a few overfed bangers began watching their beer bellies. Slayer famously switched from full-bodied Belgian beer to watery Coors Light. According to guitarist Gary Holt, Exodus singer Steve Sousa shed forty-five pounds after beginning a NutraSystem diet. “He got the idea because Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, and Louie Clemente from Testament all went on it,” says Holt. “He showed me one of the NutraSystem hamburgers, and I was like, ‘Man, I’d eat the box, too!’”
