In a new interview with ClassicRockHistory.com’s Andrew Daly, Kerry King discussed SLAYER’s upcoming reunion shows. King remarked, “It’s not really much different at all. It’s the same heads, same cabs, same pedals, same guitars. There will be a lot of fire when SLAYER plays, and those shows will just be fun. It’ll be great to play with Gary Holt [SLAYER guitarist] for a few gigs; I haven’t seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it’ll be nice to get together with Tom Araya [SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and spit some hate out at people, but don’t get used to this being a yearly event.”
When asked by SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” about the potential impact of SLAYER’s reunion on his solo album, “From Hell I Rise,” which was released on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music, King explained, “I see it both ways. We’ve been turning down reunion offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, it was right as my project was releasing. Some people, like my management and booking agents, think it’s great and will boost my solo thing. I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know the business side of it, but it is what it is.’ And every time I talk about it, I say, ‘SLAYER is not gonna make another record. SLAYER is never gonna tour again.’ Maybe a one-off here or there, but nothing regular. I told my solo band, ‘This is a blip on the radar. You guys are with me till you don’t wanna be.'”
Regarding SLAYER’s reunion frequency, King said, “I’m not even talking yearly. Maybe every two years, every three years, every five years. I’ll be super busy with my solo band once 2025 rolls around.”
When asked if he had spoken to Araya since the reunion announcement, King said, “I’ll tell you the truth, ’cause you know that’s how I roll. No, we haven’t. But it’s not weird. [Laughs] We’ll probably rehearse off and on for a couple weeks before the first show because even though me and [SLAYER drummer] Paul [Bostaph] will be sharp from playing, playing with different people, you’ve gotta get sharp together.”
King clarified that the reunion shows will not lead to a full-fledged comeback, saying, “The way I look at it, it’s like three five-year anniversary shows of our last tour.”
Five years after SLAYER’s final farewell concert, King and his bandmates announced their return to the stage with performances at Aftershock, Riot Fest, and Louder Than Life festivals in September and October.
In an interview with Revolver about “From Hell I Rise,” King discussed the SLAYER reunion. “If you ask promoters, they’ll have another answer. If you ask booking agents, they’ll have a third answer. But to me, it kind of came out of nowhere. We’ve been getting offers the past few years, and we turn them down every year. These three festivals are right around the five-year anniversary of our last tour, which I thought was kind of cool. So, I thought this might be the right time to test the water. It will be great to play for the fans again.”
Regarding whether the reunion will overshadow his solo tour, King said, “Time will tell, and hopefully not. The day the SLAYER announcement came, [Phil] Demmel [guitarist in King’s solo band] said, ‘Dude, is this real?’ And I said, ‘It’s just a few weekends and that’s it.’ Of course, Paul knew. But I didn’t tell Phil, Kyle [Sanders, bassist], or Mark [Osegueda, vocalist] because I didn’t want anyone getting cold feet. This is a moment in time, and yeah, KERRY KING will be touring, hopefully later in the year, as well. But SLAYER is an entity and I’m just a person. Hopefully, we continue with the solo project.”
In an interview with Metal Hammer magazine, King admitted that the SLAYER reunion announcement “was not my favorite timing,” adding, “The reunion is not going to translate into recording or touring. For me, it’s three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, ‘Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?’ celebration.”
