Kerry King, the legendary guitarist who carved his name in the annals of thrash metal with Slayer, is finally ready to unleash his post-band beast. After years of speculation and cryptic pronouncements, 2024 promises to be the year King‘s new project rips onto the scene.
The question on everyone’s mind was: will it be a mere echo of Slayer‘s infernal glory, or will it forge a fresh path in the fiery furnace of metal? According to a new interview from Metal Hammer, King describes the new music as an “extension” of Slayer, acknowledging the DNA that courses through his veins. But there’s a rebellious glint in his eye, a promise that this won’t be a rehash of past glories.
“If I was ever to try anything different, I guess that would be the time. But no, I really have no desire to do anything different.” King acknowledges. “If I wasn’t in Slayer, I would be a Slayer fan. So yes, I think it’s an extension of Slayer, and I think a lot of people will think it might have been the next record. I guess maybe 80% of it would have been, maybe it would have been exactly what I’m putting on this one. In my eyes, I think it’s a definite extension, a follow-up to “Repentless” for sure.”
There is the exciting tightrope King walks. He understands the primal pull of Slayer‘s legacy, the hunger fans have for that signature blend of speed, aggression, and melodic darkness. But he’s also an artist yearning to explore new sonic landscapes: “There’s definitely some fast stuff on it. It’s not the fastest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve done some pretty fast stuff. There’s definitely some Herculean speeds getting achieved on this, but there’s heavy stuff. There’s punky stuff. There’s doomy stuff. Pretty much any aspect of any kind of music we’ve done in our history, I think you’ll find on this record.”
King‘s music has always thrived on the edge of a sonic precipice, and there’s no reason to believe his new venture will be any different, and it seems we will even get some slow-paced tracks: “For me, the slowest one is similar in vibe to ‘When The Stillness Comes.’ That one came out really cool and spooky. And then there was one where my entire intention was to write something like the Scorpions’ Animal Magnetism crossed with the ‘chug’ of ‘Hell Awaits’. That one came together pretty early. I like that song a lot. I mean, I like all of them a lot, but that one, that one’s got a different vibe for sure.”
While details about the identity of the bandmembers – other than drummer Paul Bostapth – remain shrouded in mystery, King‘s objective seems to be forging a permanent collective: “It’s my intention that everybody that’s on the record is going to be in the band, hopefully for its entirety.”
