KERRY KING: "I'm Not Saying I'd Have Made MEGADETH Better – I'd Have Made Them Different"

Before his illustrious career in Slayer and as a solo artist, Kerry King joined Megadeth for a very brief stint in 1984. King has since claimed that his time in Megadeth wasn't bad, but that the substance abuse rampant in the band at the time didn't jive with what he wanted.

Still, what would Megadeth have sounded like if King stayed? King briefly weighed in during an interview with Metal Hammer when asked what band he would pick to be in, if he could be in any other band.

"I was almost in Megadeth. I think if myself and Dave Mustaine could have co-existed for four years, it would have been a very different band. I'm not saying I'd have made them better – I'd have made them different. It's funny. I was backstage at Mercyful Fate's show in Las Vegas and got talking to [guitarist] Hank Shermann, and said to him, 'I thought you guys might come knocking', and you could see his head explode. 'It never fucking occurred to me!' I'm a huge Mercyful Fate fan so I'd have done that in a heartbeat.

"I'd also love to play with Judas Priest. That brief second where Richie got sick and they suggested going out with one player, I thought if they called me and said, 'Can you be that one guitarist?', I honestly don't think I could, because they're such a dual guitar band. Thankfully they never did it, but if they'd have asked, I think it would have been the hardest 'no' of my life."

It's interesting that King would've picked either Mercyful Fate or Judas Priest, given their Iron Maiden-esque dual guitar leads – something totally different from Slayer. Anyway, behold the magic that is Kingdeth below.