In a recent interview with Q104.3, Kerry King discussed how Slayer’s upcoming reunion gigs came to be, five years after their farewell tour. He explained the rationale behind the reunion:
“I’ll put it in a way everyone can understand. We’ve been turning down offers since the start of 2020, pandemic and all. As the five-year anniversary of our last tour approached, I thought, ‘You know what? This three-show package could be fun.’ It’s a sort of anniversary celebration of our final tour.”
King then addressed the future of the band, sharing news that may disappoint Slayer fans:
“We’re never going to tour again — that’s off the table. We’re not going to record new music either. But doing these commemorative shows seems like a fun idea. It’s not a long-term commitment. Fans don’t need to worry about a tour because we promised we wouldn’t do that. There’s no hidden agenda here. People should just see it as anniversary celebration shows. That’s all it is.”
‘Don’t Get Used To It’
Last month, King talked about Slayer’s comeback in an interview with Andrew Daly at ClassicRockHistory. When asked about his thoughts on the reunion gigs, King replied:
“It’s not really much different at all. Same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. There will be a lot of fire when Slayer plays, and I think these shows will be fun. It’ll be great to play with Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven’t seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it’ll be cool to get together with Tom Araya and spit some hate at people, but don’t get used to this being a yearly event.”
King also reassured his solo band that the Slayer reunion shows were a one-time event, emphasizing that his solo project wouldn’t undergo constant lineup changes and that they would remain part of the band for as long as they wished.
Slayer is set to perform at the Aftershock, Riot Fest, and Louder Than Life festivals this September and October.
