In 2021, Slayer guitarist Kerry King revealed that he has more than two records' worth of music written for his as-yet-unnamed band. He recently told Metal Hammer that he “won’t be dragging my feet much longer” when it comes to his new project.
Former Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo, answered fan questions via Louder Sound, and was asked if he would have signed up for Kerry King’s new band, if he'd been asked, to which he replies: "I knew that was coming! I am, right now, working on too many other projects and I wouldn’t be able to accept. New Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle… the pandemic put a lot of stuff on hold, so we need to play some catch-up there. Besides that, he’s got Paul Bostaph, and I don’t think he would have the need to ask me.”
Lombardo was then asked: If Slayer returned to the stage and asked you to play again, would you? “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen," says Dave. "But, yeah, I’d listen to whatever it is they had to say. That’s it, you can’t go any further than that.”
Read more at Louder Sound.
Speaking to Metal Hammer, Kerry King says that fans of his old band won’t be disappointed when it comes to his new music.
“You know me, so you know what it’s going to sound like,” he says of the new material. “I played this new song for a buddy, and I said to him, ‘If there’s anything I’ve written in the last few years that sounds like Slayer, it’s this.’ And he said, ‘That sounds like you could have pulled it off of any Slayer record.' I actually made that riff up backstage at a Slayer show. We were walking to the stage and I got my phone out and recorded it so I wouldn’t forget it. That actually ended up being one of the last songs that I finished for the sessions, so when that hits the air, or stores, or Apple, or wherever it is that people buy music from these days, you can all play the guessing game discussion about which one it is.”
San Francisco Bay Area's Nikki Blakk, who pioneered rock radio station 107.7 The Bone, got the chance to hear King's new music and posted the following message on Facebook: "I heard the new Kerry King songs last night & they are CRUSHING. The world hasn’t been the same without Slayer, but now I’m looking forward to 2023. And yes, I know who’s in the band, but no, I won’t tell you."
King has been cagey about who else will be in the band, he confirmed the involvement of former Slayer drummer, Paul Bostaph.
Read more at Metal Hammer.
(Kerry King photo - Chad Lee Photography)
