SLAYER's KERRY KING On State Of Metal, Headbanging, And New Album Artwork

Blender.com recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Blender.com: What do you think of the current state of metal?

King: "Well, it's actually pretty good for now. Us, METALLICA and ANTHRAX came out a long time ago. Now we're still around, but there's a bunch of new kids starting at that level again and bringing things up. There are a lot of really good bands, like LAMB OF GOD, CHIMAIRA, ARCH ENEMY and IN FLAMES. There were a lot of pretenders when we came out, but they're not around anymore. It's not because they can't get gigs — it's just because kids know what's good and kids know what's phony."

Blender.com: How has the vibe around the scene changed over the years?

King: "I think the first time around, it was probably 99 percent dudes. Now, more chicks can say, 'Fuck you, I can listen to thrash if I want.' Girls realize it's safer than it was back then — they're not going to get gang-raped in the pit or anything."

Blender.com: Is there any place in metal for masks and makeup?

King: "Some people pull that off. SLIPKNOT — I don't mind them because they did masks correctly, if you ask me. Whether you like them or not, it doesn't affect their music. When they come to fuckin' town, they put out and it's a good show. I would go see them, myself. If you're totally behind what you're doing, I can't tell you knock it off."

Blender.com: How talented is Dave Lombardo?

King: "Have you every seen the movie 'The Natural'? That's Dave. He doesn't have to try to be good. He comes into the venue 10 or 15 minutes before we hit the stage and he doesn't warm up. He just goes and does it, after me and Jeff [Hanneman, guitarist] have been warming up for like an hour."

Blender.com: Is there a right way to headbang?

King: "I guess everybody's got their own style, but mine's pretty much forward and backward. Since I have a shaved head, I do the front-to-back and side-to-side thing, like the big 'yes' and the big 'no.'"

Blender.com: You don't need long hair to do it properly?

King: "Oh, no. If I did, I'd be fucked."

Blender.com: Speaking of epic, the artwork for the new record is incredible. We heard that you have the original, and that it's on a huge block of wood.

King: "I arranged to purchase it from the painter. Its like four feet by four feet. It's gigantic. I just found this place called Rosemary's Billygoat in L.A., too. It's like an oddities store. I went there and we found this picture made of wire. It's got some kind of small animal skull on it with a crown of thorns — it's like the wire makes up the Christ figure. We got the new song 'Skeleton Christ', so I had to have it."

Read the entire interview at Blender.com.