SLAYER's KERRY KING Says Band Will Not Do Any More Touring This Year

Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Glam-Metal.com: The SLAYER/MARILYN MANSON tour kicked off on July 25th in Florida. How is the tour going so far?

King: Well, we are four shows in; it is not like it has been going that long. Things are good. SLAYER hasn't played this set long enough to be comfortable with it. But now after this fourth show, we are pretty comfortable and you don't have to think as much. You can just put on your show. (Laughter)

Glam-Metal.com: Was it hard trying to pick a set list for this particular tour? The band has such an extensive repertoire.

King: It is because the shorter we play, the harder it is to figure out what he are going to play. We are playing an hour and 10 minutes, so we get 14 songs in there. We are playing stuff that people haven't heard in awhile. Some of the favorites. I try and mix it up, every time we come through for people that have seen us once or twice already. So it is not like a waste of money.

Glam-Metal.com: I think it is a great idea too that SLAYER are opening. Has it been beneficial for SLAYER to open the show so far?

King: Every one once in a while, it is cool. Because we headline so much. Even though it is co-headlining and we play the same amount of time, MANSON plays last so my party starts earlier than usual. (Laughter)

Glam-Metal.com: How have the fans been reacting to the SLAYER set and MARILYN MANSON set. Would you say there are two different audiences that are attending the concerts?

King: Well, I haven't been onstage for much of MANSON's set yet, because three of the four shows, I have been entertaining friends. They are people that I don't see that often. So I am hanging out with them and doing stuff. I was up there for one tune and one of these days, probably after we get through New York and New England, I will settle down and go out and watch them a little bit.

Glam-Metal.com: How has the music industry changed, since your debut in the '80s? Do you feel that the metal scene is strong once again?

King: It is pretty big right now. As long, as there are quality bands putting out quality stuff, it will hang around. When too many people get signed and too many bands come out with marginal stuff, it kind of dilutes what we are all trying to achieve.

Glam-Metal.com: "Christ Illusion" features a new song, "The Final Six". Tell me a little about the writing of this song.

King: It was supposed to be on the first release of "Christ Illusion". But we had it all finished and everything but Tom went home for a vacation for a weekend and that is when he got sick. So, he couldn't come back to finish it. So we finished it a few months back, and now with a new record label it kind of helped out. They wanted to re-release the album so we had something new we can put on.

Glam-Metal.com: Now what about the guitar part for the song, "Black Serenade"? Why did you want to do them over?

King: Actually, we didn't do it over. What we did was, the way Jeff originally wrote it, is the way it is on the re-release. The way it was on the first one was the way the producer messed around moved things around. I don't like one particularly better than the other. It is just a different version.

Glam-Metal.com: Are there any more plans to re-issue any more of SLAYER's past catalog?

King: I don't think so. I think we got everything out finally. I know we got a DVD from the "Unholy Alliance" tour in the works. The majority of it is us, but LAMB OF GOD is on it, CHILDREN OF BODOM is on it, MASTODON is on it.

Glam-Metal.com: Kerry, I would like to congratulate you and SLAYER for your Grammy award on "Eyes Of The Insane". The video was outstanding. It depicted the horrors of war. Tell me why you choose to do more of a theatrical video than a performance video?

King: At that time, we got a treatment for three different songs. There was that one, there was "Jihad", and "Cult", I believe. "Eyes Of The Insane" was the one that was different. It felt like it would be cool to have someone do it. It just seemed like a cool thing to do. After we viewed it, we thought that is really different. I am a fan of performance videos, as well. I think fans want to see the band. I think every once in a while, we got so much footage out there in one form or another, that this is kind of a different thing to throw out.

Glam-Metal.com: What is SLAYER's touring plans, after this current tour is finished? Will the band be on the road till the end of the year?

King: I think we are done after this tour for the year. I don't know what the beginning of next year holds. I haven't talked to the manager about that or anything.

Read the entire interview at Glam-Metal.com.