Kerry King revealed that he hasn’t had any communication with Tom Araya since SLAYER concluded its farewell tour over four years ago
In a discussion with Rolling Stone about his solo project, the 59-year-old guitarist touched on the band’s decision to disband.
When asked how he found out SLAYER frontman Tom Araya wanted to retire, Kerry said: “We were on tour and some kid was interviewing him, and he said something about, ‘I’ve got to get together with Kerry and talk before we talk about the next record.’ He should have just said, ‘I’m probably not going to do another record,’ or had that conversation with me before he mentioned anything like that. I was just assuming, ‘Oh fuck, what’s this going to be?’ And it was, ‘I’m done.’ Not what I expected. But if you made that decision, I’m not going to try to talk you out of it because your heart’s not going to be in it anyway.”
Touching on why Araya had decided to retire, King said: “I think just the wear and tear of the road. I think he wanted to be home. None of us are real spotlight seekers, but he’s certainly not. And when [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman] was around, he was like a hermit. He did not want fame. I tolerate fame. Somebody’s got to be that guy.”
Kerry also made note that personality clashes also contributed to SLAYER‘s eventual split.
“Me and Tom have never been on the same page,” he said. “Like if I want a chocolate shake, he wants a vanilla shake. ‘Kerry, what color is the sky?’ Blue. ‘Tom, what color is the sky?’ White. We’re just different people. The further on in years we got, it just became more.
“Am I going to hang out with Tom? He likes tequila a little bit and I’m a big tequila-head, so I’ll have my shot with him, and we’ll part ways. We’re not going to hang out or anything because we are very different people. And together, we made great music and a great live show.”
Asked if he has talked to Tom at all since the last SLAYER show,” Kerry said: “Not even a text. Not even an e-mail. I’ve talked to everybody else from the band on the phone, text, or e-mail. If Tom hit me up, I’d probably respond. It probably depends on what he hit me up for, but I don’t wish him dead at this moment.”
When asked if he and Tom could make another SLAYER album, Kerry said: “I can pretty much a hundred percent say no because I have a new outlet, and it’s not SLAYER, but it sounds like SLAYER. I’m making the music I like to make still, so I don’t need to do that. Records don’t sell anymore anyway. It’s just a means to have a product out so people know what I’m playing when I come to town.”
Also hitting on the possibility of SLAYER ever touring again, Kerry said: “I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen. Could SLAYER play a show again? I’m sure there’s a scenario. Am I looking for it? No, I’m just getting ready to start my career. So if that happens, it happens. But I’m going to be doing this [solo band] for the next 10 years at least.”
Kerry was also asked if he has spoken to original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo, who has been out of the group for more than a decade. He responded: “No. Lombardo is dead to me.” Elaborating on why he feels that way, the 59-year-old musician said: “[Dave] went on that tirade when we were on a flight to Australia, and he knew we couldn’t retort for 14 hours, and he threw me under the bus. I was the only one keeping him in the band. Tom [Araya] wanted him out before that, and Jeff [Hannemann, SLAYER guitarist] had just gotten the spider bite [causing him to contract a flesh-eating bacteria, forcing him off the road], so he wasn’t playing with us much. I said, ‘We need [Dave]. The fans won’t get it if we replace him right now.’ And then the Australia thing came up. He threw me under the bus, and I’m, like, ‘I’m the guy that kept you here.’ So I thought, ‘Fuck that guy.'”
Regarding what happened to cause the split with Lombardo, King said: “He’s super impressionable. He was listening to this woman that was his attorney at the time, and she thought we had METALLICA money, which we’ve never had fucking METALLICA money. So she’s just blowing shit in his ear, and he thinks he should be getting more than he should be getting. It’s like, talk to somebody that actually knows the situation and isn’t just blowing sunshine up your ass to make money in your commission.”
The iconic thrash metal group played its final show in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. Following the farewell performance, Kerry‘s wife, Ayesha, emphatically stated that there was “not a chance in hell” of a SLAYER reunion for additional live appearances.
SLAYER‘s global farewell tour kicked off on May 10, 2018, with the band’s aim to reach as many places as possible, allowing fans to easily attend one last SLAYER show and bid farewell. The 18-month tour encompassed seven legs and included one-off major summer festivals, totalling over 140 shows across 30 countries and 40 U.S. states when it concluded at the Forum.
Kerry King is set to unveil his inaugural solo album, titled “From Hell I Rise,” slated for release on May 17 through Reigning Phoenix Music.
Collaborating with the seasoned 59-year-old guitarist on this project are Mark Osegueda, the vocalist from DEATH ANGEL, Paul Bostaph, the enduring drummer from SLAYER, Kyle Sanders, the former bassist of HELLYEAH, and Phil Demmel, the ex-guitarist of MACHINE HEAD and VIO-LENCE.
Comprising 13 tracks, “From Hell I Rise” was crafted in collaboration with the renowned producer Josh Wilbur, known for his longstanding partnership with LAMB OF GOD.
Kerry told Rolling Stone that the track, “From Hell I Rise”, is one of two songs — along with “Rage” — on the album that he has carried over from SLAYER‘s “Repentless” sessions. “It was finished, we recorded it,” he says. “I wasn’t happy with the performance part of it, so I was like, ‘All right, I’ll put this in my back pocket until the next SLAYER record.’ And that didn’t happen, so it’s now on my record.”
