S Poddar
Kerry King has completely shut the door on the possibility of a full Slayer reunion, declaring that the thrash metal legends are not going to be creating any new music or doing any more touring. Speaking candidly with Australia’s Metal Roos, the guitarist talks about what’s next for Slayer and how he admires certain metal icons that he would have loved to work with if given the opportunity.
“We’re never gonna make a record again, we’re never gonna tour again,” King said without any hesitation. “That was the last thing. We said, ‘This is our final tour.’ It [then] took five years for us to come and say, ‘Hey, here’s a couple of shows, five-year anniversary.'” King’s words seemed to clearly state that the Slayer legacy was at its natural end with no plan on the horizon to return to the studio or stage in any full-scale capacity.
Slayer surprised the live scene in 2024 by making appearances at a few select festivals in the United States. One of those festival appearances is a spot at Riot Fest, but their Louder Than Life appearance was canceled because Hurricane Helene brought extreme weather conditions to the region. The band will not be performing at that specific festival in 2024, but organizers have already confirmed that Slayer will return in 2025.
While Slayer’s story has drawn to a close, Kerry King is not slowing down. Earlier this year, he launched his much-anticipated solo project, releasing the debut album From Hell I Rise. The album features an impressive lineup of musicians, including Mark Osegueda from Death Angel on vocals, Phil Demmel of Machine Head on guitar, Kyle Sanders of Hellyeah on bass, and longtime Slayer collaborator Paul Bostaph on drums. The band performed their first live show in May at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago and will embark on a US and Canadian tour in 2025, followed by South America and Europe.
Despite the promise of a bright solo future, King still struggles to work out how he wants his music to go. He has dropped hints that he is already toying with ideas for the second solo album, while reiterating that, to a large extent, the timing would depend on tour dates. “I will be prepared to record next year, but depending how long the tour cycle is, that’s a grey area,” King explained. He also mentioned that there is a possibility of adjusting his approach towards releasing the new music. “I’m old school, which is why we did an album,” he continued. “But I’ve gotta tell ya, there’s nothing that says albums are the path of the future. Maybe we put out four songs, go on tour. Then another four songs, another tour. I’m not sure. I’m planning on doing a second record and we’ll see what the public demands when that happens.”
In an interview with Metal Roos, Kerry King was also asked who musicians, both living and deceased, he would have liked to work with. He had both the heartfelt and humorous reflection as he went over some of his idols. “I’d go the dead route, because what’s fun making up people who’re alive?” he quipped, before naming Ronnie James Dio as a dream collaborator. King remembered a humorous incident with Dio, whom he met in 2006. “I was such a bigger fan, and when I met him I was wasted. It was comedy!” King recalled.
Their meeting occurred during a festival in Japan, where Slayer was scheduled to perform. “We were in Japan, doing one of the festivals you do there; Beast Feast, Loud Park, whatever it might’ve been,” King said. He explained that Slayer’s production manager, who had worked with Black Sabbath, knew Dio personally. One evening, while King was getting ready to go to bed after a long day of playing early shows, he saw Dio at the bar. Unable to resist, King staggered over to introduce himself. “I see [our production manager] over there with Ronnie James Dio and I’m like. ‘Fuck! I wanna go meet Ronnie James Dio.’ So I go fuckin’ stumbling over to the table and I say, ‘Charlie! Why don’t you introduce me to your friend?’ And [Dio] stands up and is like, ‘Hey Kerry, how’re you?’ and it’s just like, ‘Ronnie James Dio knows my name, fuck yeah!'”
King then elaborated that Dio is his favorite vocalist of all time, naming him as one of his two. “He’s one of my top two singers of all-time,” King said. “I only give him number two because there’s a man called Rob Halford on this planet, who is my hero.” In fact, it was his influence on metal, coupled with his larger-than-life personality, that made Dio such a big part of King’s life.
Another musician who made an impression on King’s life was the late guitarist of Pantera, the iconic Dimebag Darrell. According to King, he and Darrell had previously planned on collaborating before things took a turn for tragedy. “For a second guitar player? It’s gotta be Dime, he’s my boy,” said King, chocked in his voice by emotion. “We were gonna do a song together before he got taken from us.” Sadly, Darrell was murdered in 2004 while performing in Columbus, Ohio. “The day we were gonna do it, was the day he had a lot of press. So I was like, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll do it, we’ve got time.’ We were gonna do Snortin’ Whiskey, Drinkin’ Cocaine [originally by Pat Travers] and both gonna sing it.”
In hindsight, King was sorrowful that he never had the chance to record with Darrell, whose musical passion for metal made him such a dear friend and associate. For King, it’s one of the greatest “what ifs” in his illustrious career. Clearly, Dio and Dimebag Darrell’s voices have stayed with King throughout his journey as a musician.
Finally, the reflections by Kerry King about Slayer’s end, his solo project, and the musicians he admires remind fans of the deep connections and respect within the metal community. Though Slayer may never return to the stage or studio in the same form, King’s music will carry on and will continue to be fuelled by the legends of the past who have helped him make it to where he is now.
