“Repentless came out and fans were like, ‘Huh, King can do it on his own”: Kerry King on Slayer after Jeff Hanneman’s death
Kerry King has discussed how he was able to surpass expectations with Slayer following Jeff Hanneman’s death.
Hanneman and King had both played guitar for Slayer since the band’s 1981 inception, but Hanneman died of liver failure in 2013. He’d played on all of Slayer’s albums up until his death, the last one being 2009’s World Painted Blood.
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The band then went six years before their next album, Repentless, which also turned out to be their last. King admits he felt pressure to perform on the record, which he was joined on by Hanneman’s replacement, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt.
Speaking to Metal Hammer, he says, “I think I had a chip on my shoulder because I knew people were saying, ‘Ah, Hanneman isn’t there, it’s not going to be that good.’ But then Repentless came out and they were like, ‘Huh, King can do it on his own.’
“This is completely on me, so I knew that I had to come up with some great stuff. I think of myself as a fan first, so if I’m into it and I think it’s something really special, I think my fans are going to think it’s awesome.”
Slayer reunited earlier this year after disbanding in 2019, and they’re set to play a few shows later on this year. However, King’s main focus at the moment is his solo career – he released his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, last month.
Meanwhile, King explained a few days ago that he’s still trying to come up with a band name, as he’s “not a vain dude,” but he just couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t already been taken.
The album features his Slayer bandmate Paul Bostaph on drums, as well as vocalist Mark Osegueda of Death Angel, Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, and Kyle Sanders of Hellyeah on bass.
King explained a few days ago that he’s still trying to come up with a band name, as he’s “not a vain dude,” but he just couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t already been taken.
The post “Repentless came out and fans were like, ‘Huh, King can do it on his own”: Kerry King on Slayer after Jeff Hanneman’s death appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
