SLAYER’S KERRY KING TALKS WORKING WITH PANTERA LEGEND – “WE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH PHIL, BUT IT NEVER EVEN GOT TO A POINT WHERE WE PLAYED IN A ROOM TOGETHER”
In a new interview with Glide Magazine, guitar legend Kerry King talks about his debut solo album, Slayer’s catalog, the 2024 election, and more. The following is an excerpt…
Glide Magazine: You started over with this band. You’ve spoken quite a bit about that previously, that it was a ground-up endeavor. What was the biggest unexpected challenge in putting together this band and the new record?
Kerry King: “The biggest unexpected challenge was easily the pandemic. It put a wrench into everything. Paul (Bostaph) and I were rehearsing, probably planning on recording in a couple months. And we both got (Covid) from the guy that owns our studio. And it just derailed us because he had that kind that stuck around. He was positive for the better part of a month. And I was positive for like three days. So we had some reason that affected us very differently, but it derailed the rehearsal process. And you know, it just took a while to get back from that.”
Glide Magazine: You created a mystique because you didn’t announce the band members. There was this idea that maybe you and Paul were going to team up with Phil (Anselmo) and Rex (Brown) and do like a hybrid thing where Pantera and Slayer tunes were available, as well as whatever new stuff you guys came up with. Was there ever any thought to that to joining something with some other kind of marquee names? Or was it mostly just a vision you had with this particular group of people?
Kerry King: “Well, the Phil connection that was loved by all the suits. And by suits, I mean the booking agents, the promoters, and my manager because they all see dollar signs. And, you know, I’m not upset with that. That’s what they get paid to do. But I told them all along, I’m like, ‘Phil’s not the guy.’ I said, ‘I’ve got the guy,’ and they fought me tooth and nail all the way through. But at the end of the day, you know, I’m in charge. We had conversations with Phil, but it never even got to a point where we played in a room together. He was dragging his feet for a long time because I don’t think he really wanted to do it. And he got some music and I think he realized it was probably too thrashy for him and what his style is these days. So, you know, the Pantera thing came around and that just flew right out the door. Never thought of it again.”
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