Kerry King doesn’t want Slayer to end any time soon

Posted by on November 8, 2016

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In a recent Headbangers Brawl, our topic of discussion was a hypothetical one – which of the Big Four bands would be the first to hang it up? In what might be a first for the column, there was a unanimous answer, and that band was Slayer. There were multiple factors that made us say that – the fact that Tom Araya seems to be more excited about being home than on the road, the fact that two of its core members are no longer with the band, the fact that they could probably live off reissues and merch revenue for the rest of their lives, and so on. However, guitarist Kerry King doesn’t want that to happen, because he says that once they stop they’re totally done. Speaking to Texas radio station KLAQ, he said:

“If I gear-down not to do this, I don’t want to come back and do it any more. I don’t want to be that band that goes away and comes back, and goes away and comes back. I want to play until we’re done, and be done with it. Hopefully that’s not soon.”

Further in the interview, King suggests that it won’t be, as Slayer already have some more material in the can for the follow-up to Repentless

“There’s two in there with vocals and leads,” says the guitarist. “Probably five more above that, and I’ve got one or two that I’ve been muddling around on tour, so there’s close to 10 already. That’s my cut-off. I want 10. I would like to get all that done before I go on tour again, at least the music. So I’m like, ‘Let’s tour again, I can make up lyrics when I’m bored.’ Maybe late next year, when the touring cycle stops again, that’s when we start thinking about recording – which is really fast for Slayer. Repentless has been out 13 months.”

Ultimately, whether Slayer continues is half up to him. It’s obvious that King and Araya are the two decision makers in the band, and unless one of them decides to pull the plug, we’ll have Slayer around for a while. But that’s a big “if,” and this interview seems to suggest that there won’t be a hiatus, just an end. 

 

[via Metal Hammer]

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