Slayer Guitarist Kerry King, Interview

2024-08-08

Kerry King and his band. In this in-depth interview with Slayer guitarist Kerry King, he speaks with Anne Erickson about his new solo project and the Slayer reunion shows.

In-depth interview with Slayer guitarist Kerry King – Author: Anne Erickson, Photo via Jim Louvau

Slayer guitarist Kerry King is having the time of his life with his new solo project and debut solo album, “From Hell I Rise.” Musically, it’s an imaginative collection of songs that bring together punk, thrash and heavy metal to great accord. So, what was King looking to craft with this new record, and what are his thoughts on this year’s Slayer reunion shows? I interviewed him about all things Kerry King and Slayer, so let’s get into it.

Slayer Guitarist Kerry King, Interview

King’s new album was recorded in two weeks, which is a great feat.

“My manager said there’s no way; you’re going to be in there three weeks at least,” he told me in a new interview. “It wasn’t a prove me wrong kind of thing, but we went in there with a job to do, and everything was already written, so there wasn’t a gray area.”

Musically, King says he was going for “kind of like what I did with the last Slayer record. I just wanted to cover all of the basis with any part of our history and any part of my influence, especially on this record. deliver something that people can say, ‘Yeah. I can definitely hear Kerry in this music, and that’s why he’s doing this particular song.”

Switching gears to whether music streaming is helping or hurting music today, King said it goes both ways.

“I think it’s good for fans, because there are so many places for them to get music,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s bad for bands, because they don’t pay royalties like they used to. But, I’m not going to cry river about that. I’m fortunate enough to put out music and fortunate enough to play, and people come see me. So, at the end of the day, that’s what I want.”

He added that right now, his only project, other than Slayer, is his solo music.

Of course, I had to ask King about the Slayer reunion shows. So, what is he looking forward to about those gigs?

“You know, I haven’t seen… I’ve texted Gary (Holt) off and on, and Paul’s with me with me all the time, so I’m looking forward to playing with Holt, because we were together 10 years. But, you know, me and Paul are on this run are holding down the fort every bit as well as Gary and I did in Slayer. So, I’m looking forward to the largeness of the stage. I’m looking forward to burning everything.”

I was personally shocked by the Slayer reunion, so I asked if King was surprised, as well.

“Yeah, you know, at the end of the day, it wasn’t bad blood,” he said. “Tom (Araya) was just done. And, when Tom told me he was done, I went, okay. Well, I’m not going to try to talk you into it, because if you’re if you’re trying to talk somebody into it, their hearts are not in it. So, it was over for me, and, of course, a month after we were done, offers came in, because people think you’re done. What we retired from was touring. We never said we were done playing. We said it was our final tour, and I don’t think three shows constitute a tour, so if you want to get technical, I think we’re in the ballpark of being truthful.”

Listen to my full Kerry King interview via the YouTube player above. Also listen to the Kerry King interview via the Audio Ink Radio podcast on Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here. For more rock and metal interviews like the Slayer interview, head to our features page.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Interviews, Metal, Music

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