When Slayer announced that they were unexpectedly reuniting to play music festivals this fall, the timing appeared to upstage guitarist Kerry King‘s then-just-announced debut solo album, From Hell I Rise.
In a new interview on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation, King was asked about whether the Slayer reunion had a positive or negative impact on promo for his solo album and subsequent tour. He was quick to clarify that the upcoming Slayer dates are one-offs, and the reunion won’t extend beyond the occasional live appearance.
“I see it both ways,” said King [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “We’ve [Slayer] been turning down offers for the last four years. Unfortunately, when the right offer came around, this one, it was right as my project was releasing. So there’s certainly people, like my management and booking agents, who say, ‘Oh, that’s great. It’s gonna boost your solo thing.’ And I’m, like, ‘Well, I don’t know the business side of it, but it is what it is.’”
He continued, “And every time I talk about it to journalists and magazines and stuff, I say, ‘Listen, Slayer is not gonna make another record. Slayer is never gonna tour again.’ May Slayer do a one-off here or there? Maybe. I told my [solo] band when [the Slayer reunion shows] came up, I’m, like, ‘Listen, this is a blip on the radar to me. This isn’t a solo project that’s gonna recycle musicians every record cycle. You guys are with me till you don’t wanna be.’”
King went on to say that he plans to pick up activity with his solo band come next year and any future Slayer performances outside of 2024 would be infrequent.
“I’m not even talking yearly,” he said of Slayer. “I’m, like, every two years, every three years, every five years. I don’t know. ‘Cause I’m gonna be super busy with [my solo band] once 2025 rolls around.”
He also still hasn’t talked to his Slayer bandmate Tom Araya following what the guitarist called a “premature” retirement when the band initially called it quits at the end of 2019.
“But you know what’s weird about that?” said King. “It’s not weird [laughs].”
King’s eponymous solo band is slated to appear Thursday (May 16th) at the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, and will support Mastodon and Lamb of God on a North American tour this summer (get tickets here). Meanwhile, Slayer will return to the stage for headlining sets at Riot Fest, Louder Than Life, and Aftershock this fall.