He joined Exodus in 1981 when guitarist Tim Agnello left the band. He is the only member of Exodus to have played on every one of their albums. He joined Slayer as a fill-in for guitarist Jeff Hanneman who was out after he contracted necrotizing fasciitis. He played with Slayer at the Big 4 Concert in Indio, California on April 23, 2011. After Jeff Hanneman died on May 2, 2013, Holt agreed to fill in and still tours for Slayer.