SLAYER's KING Says DAVE MUSTAINE Is 'Pompous', 'A Hypocrite' And 'A Great Guitar Player'

SLAYER members Kerry King (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums) took part in a press conference with members of the French media on August 31, 2009 in Paris, France. Watch the question-and-answer session in three parts below (courtesy of MetalSickness.com).

When asked about his long-running "feud" with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and SLAYER's recent Canadian tour with MEGADETH, King stated, "We only did four [shows with MEGADETH so far on the current touring cycle]. I think it's cool for the fans [to have SLAYER and MEGADETH touring together], you know. Everybody's all worried about the beef with me and Dave; we don't really get along. But I don't really have anything against him. I think he's a great guitar player. When we had that Canada thing pop up, I just said, 'I'm gonna go, and if I see Dave, I'll be cordial. I'll say, 'Hey, Dave. What's up?!' But if he's a dick to me, I'm gonna be a bigger dick to him.' And that's how [the upcoming SLAYER/MEGADETH tour of] Australia is gonna be, and that's how the next Canadian tour [with MEGADETH] is gonna be. I think maybe he's grown up a bit because I think he's a little pompous and I think he's a big hypocrite — that's my problem with him, personally — but I could never take anything away from his guitar playing; I think he's great."

According to Eil.com, the world's leading provider of rare music and music memorabilia, SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be released in Japan on October 14. The limited-edition two-disc set will include the 11-track CD album, plus a bonus Region 2 NTSC DVD (content to be announced),picture sleeve and Obi strip.

An Obi strip is a loop of folded paper usually found around the left side or bottom of a Japanese or Taiwanese LP record, music CD, video game, or book. It features the title and other information, such as price and catalog numbers. The name comes from the sashes worn with kimonos and martial arts uniforms.

Former Metal Edge editor-in-chief Phil Freeman has written the first track-by-track review of "World Painted Blood" for MSN Music's Heavy Metal Superfan site. After describing each of the album's 11 tracks in detail, he concludes: "A lot of people say SLAYER hasn't really been great since 'Seasons in the Abyss'. Those people are wrong. The Paul Bostaph years had a lot to recommend them ('Diabolus in Musica' is a seriously underrated album),and 'Christ Illusion' showed that SLAYER could experiment with dissonance and melody, and kick their own playing and songwriting up a notch when they wanted to. The bandmembers have given a lot of interviews talking about how a lot of this album was written in the studio. Listening to it, you can't tell. That's really impressive. Much the way METALLICA's 'Death Magnetic' combined the thrash of their early years with the hard-rock grooves of their 1990s work, 'World Painted Blood' builds on the success of every SLAYER album before it. It's not a legacy-polishing effort; it's the next step in a still-ongoing journey. Highly recommended."

Read the entire review at this location.

Tentatively due in the U.S. in early October via American Recordings/Columbia Records, "World Painted Blood" will feature the following track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"World Painted Blood" was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: