SLAYER's KING: New CD Has 'More Variety Than Anything We've Done In Quite Some Time'

Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The A.V. Club: Do you feel that "World Painted Blood" is a return to SLAYER's "classic" period, or a progression from "Christ Illusion"?

Kerry King: I just think it's funny that people always try to analyze it, and don't just dig it for what it is. When people say it's a return to the '80s, I say, "Well, what was 'Christ Illusion'? What was 'God Hates Us All'?" I know the '90s were weird, but this decade, we've been really solid. I think this record's really cool; it's got more variety than anything we've done in quite some time. And before you ask the question, it wasn't planned that way. That's just how it came out.

The A.V. Club: Groups as established as SLAYER get pressure from some critics to keep moving forward, and from some fans to keep sounding the same. Does any of that motivate you one way or another?

Kerry King: I think first and foremost, we were fans before we were SLAYER, and that carries over into today. I think if we like it, then our fans are going to like it, because in a way, we're just an extension of them. We're just four dudes who make each other better. I think that's the main difference between us and most bands. There's a lot of guitar players out there in bands that are never going to make it; they might be better than us, but number one, they weren't in the right place at the right time, and number two, they never find people that make them better, or share the same ideas. It's really a crapshoot.

The A.V. Club: Do you pay much attention to critics at all?

Kerry King: Not really. I was reading one article about the new album, and the guy was asking if it was a burden to be in SLAYER. And then you have guys talking about how great the album is, and how much they love it, and then they still give you 8 out of 10 because they expect more out of us. That blows me away.

The A.V. Club: Have you developed different standards for what constitutes a good show than you had when you were starting out?

Kerry King: I don't think so. Maybe one difference is that now we can afford to do cooler things. We'll do some fire, some pyro from time to time. It's an expensive thing, so when you're at an earlier point in your career, you weigh the options and say "I don't want to spend all my money on a couple of big bangs." But this year, when we did the Mayhem tour, we split the cost of the pyro guy with MARILYN MANSON as a way to get our feet wet with it.

The A.V. Club: On that topic, has technology overall been a good thing for the band over the years?

Kerry King: Well, it's definitely made recording easier. Of course, you still go through and record every one of your parts, but with Pro Tools, it makes it so much easier than it was 10 years ago. It seems like every time we go into the studio, there's a new thing to make it easier. Much as I hate recording, I have to say, it's so much easier than it was when we started out.

The A.V. Club: After 25-plus years, what keeps you artistically interested?

Kerry King: I don't know if it's just me personally, but I'm still a fan. I have tons of friends in the heavy-metal music world, and just going to see them inspires me. If I'm ever feeling uninspired, all I have to do is go see EXODUS or ARCH ENEMY, and think "Oh yeah, that's what we're doing this for." We're definitely a generation-jumper as far as fans are concerned; there's no rhyme or reason to it, but it's pretty cool.

The A.V. Club: Is there anything you feel like you still have left to accomplish, anything you haven't done that you still want to do as an artist?

Kerry King: Not to sound like an asshole, but no. The only thing that's really different now from the late '80s and early '90s is that you used to judge yourself by gold records and stuff like that. Sure, we had gold records — I don't think there'll ever be a time when we get them again, just because of the way that music is sold and traded now, but I've played some of the biggest shows in the world, and headlined most of them. And it seems like every album, we end up visiting a new country, which is cool. As far as goals, I honestly can't think of any.

The A.V. Club: There have been a lot of rumors that you're planning to do "World Painted Blood" and two more, then call it quits. Is there anything to that?

Kerry King: I think that's a case of journalists taking the ball and running a little too far with it. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not 25 anymore, but I'd also be the first to tell you that I'm having a damn fucking good time. Of course, a lot of it depends on our recording schedule; I think a lot of this started to come around because it took us five years to do "Christ Illusion" after "God Hates Us All". But what people are missing is that during that period, we had the "War At The Warfield" and "Still Reigning" videos, and we had a box set, and an EP. And every one of those products, even though it's not a new album, that put us to work and had us out on tour. But we took five years between records, and I know Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] and I both said "Well, if we take five years between each record, we might only have one or two left in us." But these last ones, we did in only three years, and I think if we keep on a more frequent release schedule… We'll see. When it's done, it's done. It ain't gonna be like KISS. Our last tour is gonna be our last fuckin' tour.

Read the entire interview from The A.V. Club.