Slayer’s Kerry King- “Slayer’s A Lifestyle, Not Just A Band”

Slayer's Kerry King sat down with Lisa to talk the 30 year anniversary of Reign In Blood, the legendary Rick Rubin, a song that may have went too far and more.

Slayer and Anthrax rocked the El Paso County Coliseum a couple weeks back, and Kerry King sat down to talk about a few things.

Earlier this month, 20 days ago to be exact, Reign In Blood turned 30 years old. When the album was going to initially be released, Def Jam’s distributor didn’t want to release the record due to the “controversial lyrical themes and cover art.” Kerry talked about if the exact same record was released for the first time today, how he thinks it would have been received:

It’s hard to say. I mean, you’re taking a moment in time and putting it into a different moment in time. When that record came out, there was still way more taboo then there is now. Even though it still exists. It’s not near as preventative as it was back then. The same things don’t scare you is what I’m saying. Musically, sonically it still would be awesome. Would it cause the uproar, (seeing) everything that has come out since then? Probably not.

When asked about working with the legendary Rick Rubin, he told us that Rick was an asset in the early days:

I think Rick was an asset in the early days, and then he got popular and pretty much didn’t care. His name’s on a lot of records but I know a lot of those records it’s the engineer that did everything….But you know in the beginning he was hands on, he was way into it and it was inspiring. But by Seasons of the Abyss and Divine Intervention, he was an afterthought. And that’s not me talking down to Rick Rubin, he just wasn’t involved. You know Executive Producer means I own the record label. I fronted the money for this. But it was generally the, you know, sometimes some of his like number one guy beneath him he started taking a bigger role on our later records. And the engineers always did too.

King also talked about how the band continues to get new, young fans all the time and what about the band keeps attracting them:

I think it’s real, I think its street, I think it’s aggressive. It’s full of angst and kids got angst, adults got angst and Slayer’s a lifestyle. Slayer’s not just a band anymore. And I think our fans look at us and they see themselves, more than I ever saw myself in any of my hero’s bands. Do I dress up and put on leather pants and chains onstage? Yeah, but that’s it.

After all the years Slayer has been around and after all the cool, gory and sometimes graphic imagery that the band displays, we had to ask. Was there ever an idea or song that went too far:

I actually got to fix that on this record. Because when atrocity vendor came out on the B side of something for I think they call it Record Store Day a couple years ago. And looking back, I can’t even remember what lyrics I changed but I didn’t rewrite the song, I redid how the drums were performed in the song I changed some vocals, made the lead longer. Just streamlined it kind of. But when that song came out I was looking back and I’m like, those lyrics, yeah it’s Slayer but it’s almost too sensationalized in a goofy way…I think the line was ‘fist fuck you with your own severed arm.’ I thought that line went, not too far, because we’re Slayer and we can do anything. But it (was) borderline not awesome to me.

Another interesting part of the interview was when King was asked about when he believes the band will call it quits:

I don’t think it’s going to be for awhile because, if I gear down to not do this I don’t want to come back and do this anymore. I don’t want to be that band that goes away, comes back, and goes away and comes back. I want to play till we’re done and be done with it. Hopefully that’s not soon.

Check out the video above to see the entire interview.