Slayer guitarist Kerry King spoke to Rolling Stone magazine and shared his ideas about Judas Priest’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. The musician also highlighted the band’s importance for Slayer’s music career.
As a huge Judas Priest fan, King occasionally named the band his favorite and most significant influence, especially at the beginning of his career. In addition, he revealed that the band’s iconic guitarist K.K. Downing inspired him a lot as a groundbreaking guitar player.
Therefore, it’s not surprising to hear that Judas Priest significantly contributed to Slayer‘s early years. Years later, the band paid tribute to their predecessor by covering their song entitled ‘Dissident Aggressor,’ which was featured in Slayer’s fourth studio album entitled ‘South of Heaven.’
During an interview, the Slayer guitarist stated that many heavy metal bands, including theirs, wouldn’t exist without Judas Priest. King added that Judas Priest, which is currently one of the nominees for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s class of 2022, should be inducted into the Rock Hall. The rocker is so supportive of the band that he would vote for them if he could.
King stated in his interview that:
“Some years, you hear who got in the Rock Hall, and you’re like, ‘Well, how did they get in above these other bands?’ So it seems basically like a popularity contest rather than, ‘Do they deserve to get in there?’ Because Judas Priest deserves to be in there.
They’ve had a 50-year career, longer than Slayer did, and we had a long-ass career, and they’re still playing when they’re all healthy. So they’ve got longevity on their side. They were a darling of MTV when MTV came out. I probably couldn’t count all the hits or what the common person would call hits.”
He added:
“If I were going to vote for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I would vote for them. Without question. First and foremost, there would be no metal without Black Sabbath, but once you get beyond that, there wouldn’t be a lot of metal bands without Judas Priest. Us being one of them.
The people who do vote are probably going to vote for the bigger bands. That says nothing for Priest’s longevity and the things they’ve done. I don’t know what else to say. If you’re not a metal fan, you’re never going to get it. If you are a metal fan, you’re never going to forget it.“
You can listen to the mentioned song below.
