California thrash metal veterans SLAYER were honored with the “Kerrang! Legend Award” at this year’s Kerrang! Awards, which was held last night (Thursday, June 13) at London, England’s Troxy Club. The award was accepted by SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, who gave a short speech, saying: “Before SLAYER, I would go to the mom-and-pop stores — that’s what we had back then; we didn’t have the Internet — and I got one of the, probably first five Kerrang!s ever, and I still have it today.”
He continued: “In a day of dying magazines, Kerrang! still exists. I’ve got all those ones from way back when, I’ve got all the ones SLAYER was in. And that’s pretty cool; you can’t really say that anymore.
“But anyway, thanks to Kerrang! again.
“SLAYER is alive and strong, and we will see you on the road.”
Video highlights from last night’s event, including Kerry‘s speech, can be seen below.
Asked what it’s like being honored with the “Kerrang! Legend Award” without founding SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away last month, King told Entertainment Daily News: “Coming to something like this wasn’t really his spiel; he wasn’t an awards-show kind of guy. He wanted to be the quiet guy doing his thing at the hotel. But, you know, he’s gonna be in everybody’s thoughts for a long time. It’s unfortunate you can’t keep unfortunate things from happening. But, you know, we’re gonna carry on, and he’ll be there in spirit.”
It was announced on May 30 by SLAYER‘s Tom Araya (bass, vocals) and Kerry King (guitar) that Paul Bostaph would be behind the drum kit for the first leg of the band’s 2013 international tour. EXODUS‘ Gary Holt is continuing to fill in for fallen guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died on May 2 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
Bostaph was SLAYER‘s drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified “Divine Intervention” (1994), the 1996 punk covers album “Undisputed Attitude”, “Diabolus In Musica” (1998), “God Hates Us All” (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance”, as well as the DVD “War At The Warfield” (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.
Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo sat out the band’s recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
Today is the 7th annual International Day Of Slayer, the day when metal fans around the world are encouraged to skip school, blow off work, and spend the day listening to SLAYER, at full blast in your car, at full blast in your home, at full blast at any public place you prefer. Remind the planet that metal fans are here to stay and an ongoing force to be reckoned with.
Slayer is currently on tour in Europe, but Kerry King recorded this special message:
In the wake of guitarist Jeff Hanneman’s death, the directors of the International Day Of Slayer – the Slayer-centric holiday that sprang to life on 6/6/06 – announce a change in the status the celebration of this year’s version of “the world’s first heavy metal holiday.”
“With the passing of Jeff Hanneman, it would be reasonable to assume that the 2013 celebration of the International Day of Slayer would be a somber one,” said Hessian spokesperson and International Day of Slayer CEO Jim Tate, “but nothing could be further from the truth. This year more than any other demands full engagement and celebration from Slayer fans and hessians across the globe.”
Tate explained that the term “Hessian,” derived from the long-haired maniacal mercenaries of the revolutionary war, is a term of cultural self-reference for metal fans.
He explained that the significance of the International Day of Slayer goes far beyond Slayer. “The outside world was once again forced to reckon with us as a cultural movement when they acknowledged the loss of one of metal’s most important figures, so it would be a mistake to simply hang our heads and close up shop. Jeff made music that was loud and defiant, and we must continue to uphold this standard in how we commemorate him and represent the hessian community,” said Tate.
Many commentators view Slayer as the “archetypal metal band” because of their uncompromising approach, their weaving of a mythology combining technology and occultism, and their unapologetic pursuit of a lifestyle apart from what modern society considers normal. In fact, some consider Slayer the saviors of heavy metal, which was veering toward the populist path which would lead to its assimilation by rock music, and absorption into a “metal-flavored” version of rock for sale as a mainstream product.
International Day of Slayer CTO Dag Hansen spoke up on this point. “Pizza wasn’t invented in Italy, Chinese restaurant food was invented in New York, Sri Racha sauce was created in California, Dutch ovens aren’t Dutch and French fries have no relation to France,” Hansen. said. “We don’t want metal to become another culture absorbed by the money machine and turned into a pale imitation of itself.”
“We at IDoS ask you to again stand up in the name of Slayer, in the name of metal, and in the name of Jeff Hanneman, and remind the rest of the planet that we are here, and we will not be going away anytime soon,” said Tate. “Good music is heroic and ultimately immortal, and now more than ever, the music of Slayer is exactly that. They created the battle hymns that so many of us have used to navigate our lives, ones we will continue to rely upon to as the days ahead grow ever darker. We cannot let these works fade with time. It is sometimes hard to remember that Slayer is comprised of mortal men like ourselves, but with the proper dedication and stewardship, their works can last a thousand years and join the ranks of masters like Beethoven and Wagner. This is what we must strive for by insisting on bands like Slayer for us and future generations.”
Reminding listeners that as every year, this year the International Day of Slayer will be on the same date, with the same agenda. “Join us. It is never too late to make your voice heard. Metal is the mission, Slayer is our weapon. On June 6th, stand with us to celebrate as visibly as we can,” said Tate. “Don’t go to work, listen to Slayer!”
The International Day of Slayer website exhorts users to:
* Listen to Slayer at full blast in your car.
* Listen to Slayer at full blast in your home.
* Listen to Slayer at full blast at your place of employment.
* Listen to Slayer at full blast in any public place you prefer.
DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren’t just about celebrating; they’re about forcing it upon non-participants.
Taking that participation to a problematic level
* Stage a “Slay-out.” Don’t go to work. Listen to Slayer.
* Have a huge block party that clogs up a street in your neighborhood. Blast Slayer albums all evening. Get police cruisers and helicopters on the scene. Finish with a full-scale riot.
* Spray paint Slayer logos on churches, synagogues, or cemeteries.
* Play Slayer covers with your own band (since 99% of your riffs are stolen from Slayer anyway).
* Kill the neighbor’s dog and blame it on Slayer.
SLAYER guitar legend Jeff Hanneman tragically passed away suddenly on May 2nd. Today, Slayer members Tom Araya and Kerry King issued the following joint statement to their fans in the UK/Europe:
“We know that our fans everywhere are hurting for the loss of Jeff just as we are .We want to let you all know that when we come to Europe this summer in June, July and August, we’ll ALL be making noise together for our brother and dear friend Jeff… We’ll see you then!”
Slayer’s very busy summer schedule can be viewed at this location. It is still unknown if drummer Dave Lombardo will join the band on these dates.
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King led the crowd in a “moment of noise” followed by a toast in honor of the band’s late axeman Jeff Hanneman at the Revolver Golden Gods on Thursday night (May 2) in Los Angeles. Video footage of King‘s tribute can be seen below.
Hanneman died at about 11 a.m. yesterday (Thursday, May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.
Hanneman had been on hiatus from SLAYER since early 2011, when he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that doctors believed might have been caused by a spider bite. Hanneman almost lost his arm, and was briefly placed in a medically induced coma. After a series of skin grafts, he had been working on his physical rehabilitation. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry.
In a March 1, 2013 interview with MetalObsession.net‘s Nick Tevelis, King stated about Jeff Hanneman‘s health status: “I don’t have an update. I haven’t seen Jeff in forever. He’s always been a recluse, and he’s even been more of a recluse since he’s not going on tour with us. But our manager talks to him from time to time and sees him in L.A. just randomly. But I’m far from L.A., so I’m not in that loop. But I guess he’s just getting better. It’s just one of those things where he can do anything in life. He could be hanging here having a good time with us. He can probably play ‘South Of Heaven’, but he’s not gonna be playing ‘Jihad’, you know what I mean?! So it’s just a muscle memory kind of thing, I guess, at this point.”
Asked whether Jeff had been involved in the songwriting process for the new SLAYER album, Kerry said: “It’s just all my stuff for now. But I did that just in case, ’cause I don’t know what Jeff‘s intentions are. So I wanted to have SLAYER covered in case he doesn’t come to the party. If he comes to the party, then we’ve got tons of songs.”
Regarding whether contingencies had been made in case Jeff doesn’t make it back to SLAYER in the near future, Kerry said: “I think Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist who has been filling in for Jeff for the past couple of years] is in for the long haul. I haven’t really discussed it with him. But he keeps his schedule free when he knows we’re on tour. And I’m pretty sure, if Jeff all of a sudden came back in June, we would probably pay Gary for freeing up his time. I don’t wanna treat somebody that’s bailed us out for two years badly. But if Gary played with us forever? I’m OK with that. But if Jeff got better and said, ‘Hey, man, I’m ready to play,’ and he came to rehearsal and showed us he was good enough, that’s his show.”
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King is featured in a new video interview with Nick Tevelis at MetalObsession.net, conducted in March 1st in Melbourne, Australia during the Soundwave festival tour. Topics of discussion include the band’s next album, the status of guitarist Jeff Hanneman, and substitute members Gary Holt (guitars/EXODUS) and Jon Dette (drums/ANIMETAL USA, ex-Slayer). Check it out below:
Source: Bravewords.com
Last night (February 23rd) at Soundwave 2013 in Brisbane, Australia at the RNA Showgrounds, for the first time in their career, thrash legends SLAYER performed with only two original members on stage – frontman Tom Araya and guitarist Kerry King. EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt continues to fill-in for the ailing Jeff Hanneman and a contract dispute with drummer Dave Lombardo saw the band replace him this week with former drummer Jon Dette (also ANTHRAX).
Check out Araya and King on-stage below:
According to Setlist.fmSLAYER performed the following:
‘Disciple’
‘Die By The Sword’
‘War Ensemble’
‘Chemical Warfare’
‘Altar Of Sacrifice’
‘Mandatory Suicide’
‘Seasons In The Abyss’
‘Dead Skin Mask’
‘Angel Of Death’
‘South Of Heaven’
‘Raining Blood’
SLAYER as part of Soundwave 2013:
February
24 – Sydney, Australia – Olympic Park
25 – Sydney, Australia – Big Top Luna Park *
March
1 – Melbourne, Australia – Flemington Racecourse
2 – Adelaide, Australia – Bonython Park
4 – Perth, Australia – Claremont Showground
Brendan Crabb of TheMusic.com.au recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On metal’s current state:
Kerry: “It seems to me like it’s just cruising along, status quo. I’m yet to see anything new that’s like a threat; not even a threat, like the next suitor to the throne. You’ve first got your MAIDEN, SABBATH and PRIEST and then you’ve got METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT and bands like that. After that, there’s a lot of bands, but I don’t think anybody’s the chief, you know what I mean?”
On SLAYER‘s forthcoming studio album:
Kerry: “As usual, every time we get ready to put out a record, [Rick Rubin's] American Recordings changes distribution, so that always holds us up. So we’ve got three weeks ’til we’re done in Australia, and hopefully all their pieces fall where they need to fall, we can get some contracts done and start recording. We’ve got plenty of music; I’m taking my days off in Australia to work on lyrics, so hopefully we’ll just get closer to the end product, so we’re not going to waste a lot of time in the studio. I think it’s pretty much SLAYER. As a guitar player I try to come up with things I’ve never heard us do or maybe I’ve never heard anybody else do, but still in the parameters of super heavy music. If you get a surprise, I would say chances are it’s still heavy; you’re just not used to hearing heavy in that way.”
On the status of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who has been absent from the road for the past two years while he is recovering from contracting necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite:
Kerry: “If he came in, knocked on my door in five minutes and said, ‘Hey dude, I’m ready, let’s go practice’, I’d say, ‘Good, get your gear, let’s go practice.’ But until that day comes, I’ve gotta cover SLAYER‘s butt and have his gig filled in. ‘Cause I don’t want it to be a carousel, where there’s, if Gary [Holt of EXODUS] can’t do it, we get somebody else, and if he can’t do it, we get somebody else again. I want to have continuity. We told Gary when our schedule is and said, ‘Please keep it open,’ because we don’t know when Jeff‘s gonna be able to play guitar. Jeff‘s kind of like a wait-and-see thing.”
On whether SLAYER plans to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of the band’s debut album, “Show No Mercy”:
Kerry: “I always think reissues, unless there’s something of serious value on it… A fan could just see that as a big rip-off, and that’s certainly not what we’re about. That being said, if we came up with some great content or something, sure, I could see that happening. Later on in the year, maybe we might do more ‘Show No Mercy’ songs. I can’t imagine playing the whole record, but I know there’s at least one song we’re playing down in Australia on this run.
“I wish somebody told us before ‘Reign In Blood’ we didn’t need reverb. But it’s good shit, you know? People always ask me, ‘Do you think you should go re-record ‘Show No Mercy’ and ‘Hell Awaits’?’ I say no, because those are a moment in time and that’s what SLAYER was. If we were recording them again now, the way SLAYER sounds… Rule number one: it would sound like a completely different record. Which could be good or bad, I don’t know. But people love those historically for what they are.”
Monster conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King at this year’s NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that is taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.
Asked if there was ever a moment when he first felt that his band had “made it,” King said: “Probably the first time we got a tour bus. One thing that I notice a lot… I can’t say all the new bands, but a lot of the younger generation, they seem to expect things. They expect to go on tour and have the tour bus that their heroes have. When we came up, we had a Camaro and a U-Haul. And then when we got ‘big,’ we had a van and a u-Haul. So when you got the tour bus, it was, like, ‘Alright, something’s gotta be working,’ you know. But I never expected it. It was just, like, ‘Alright, if we deserve it, when our time comes, fuck yeah, we got a tour bus. That’s awesome.’ And then you get a different perspective. But people…. I see it a lot at these NAMM shows, people come in and present themselves like, ‘Don’t you wanna give me some?’ without being anybody, without earning shit. And it wasn’t like that when I grew up … I think they have a huge sense of entitlement.”
Regarding what keeps him going more than 30 years since SLAYER‘s inception, King said: “Shows are awesome; I love shows. And you know, when you make up new stuff, you’re in quest of the perfect riff. I don’t know if it’s been written yet, and I may never know, but you’re always making up new stuff and re-impressing yourself and re-energizing yourself, making up things that are, for myself, so SLAYER. And it’s, like, ‘How did we never write this before?’ And that’s fun.”
King, Chilean-born bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo are continuing to play shows with EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, who has been filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman for two years while Jeff recovers from contracting necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite.
SLAYER last year entered the studio to record two new songs with producer Greg Fidelman for a possible EP release.
In a summer 2012 interview with “Metal Zone” host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone, King was asked whether Hanneman is contributing to the songwriting process for the new album. “On the last record [2009's 'World Painted Blood'], it was kind of, like, [split] down the middle [between me and Jeff]. On the records prior, it was mostly me. This one’s been all me so far,” he said. “He’s welcome to contribute. It’s just a matter of him [putting] something [together] and getting it to us.”
The Indian edition of Rolling Stone magazine recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Rolling Stone India: The last few years have been pretty exciting, especially the “Big Four” tour starting with Sonisphere. I remember [SLAYER drummer] Dave [Lombardo] telling me in 2010 that the last time SLAYER played with METALLICA was way back in the early Eighties in Orange County when both [Dave] Mustaine and [Ron] McGovney were in that band. So, Kerry, how was the experience of that “Big Four” tour?
Kerry: You know, it’s funny. About METALLICA, the funny thing about the two bands is that we never really talk. Not because we are at odds with each other. Simply because we were in completely different circles. When we were touring, they were home. When they were touring, we were home. So aside from a couple of shows early on in Orange County like you said, we played maybe five shows in 25 years at random festivals. So it was really cool making that connection. I thought going into that, the whole “Big Four” idea was to get these bands together. What I was left with was a great opportunity and a great memory of my own.
Rolling Stone India: 2013 is going to be the 30th anniversary of [debut album] “Show No Mercy”. Do you ever sit down, look back and say, “Wow, we’ve been around for three decades”?
Kerry: Absolutely! In the beginning, I never assumed we’d be around 30 years. We got lucky. Our first record went out when me and [guitarist and founding member] Jeff [Hanneman] were 19, Dave was 18, I think [bassist and vocalist] Tom [Araya] was 22. So we were lucky enough to get an early start. And at that time, we got into music to get beer and chicks. And luckily, somebody found us and we got to make a career of it. I think for a lot of bands, their first record is their shot at getting famous. Their second record — they gotta repeat that.
California thrash metal legends SLAYER have spent the last year and half touring without guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who is still recovering from necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, which he is believed to have gotten from a spider bite. At last year’s “Big Four” concert in Indio, California, Hanneman joined the band onstage for a two-song encore, but he hasn’t yet been able to tour again.
Asked if Jeff‘s absence has delayed the recording process for SLAYER‘s new album, the band’s other guitarist, Kerry King, told Artisan News (see video below), “Not yet. We’ve recorded very little. We got a little bit done. We had a 12-day window where we hijacked [producer] Greg Fidelman from METALLICA and worked with him a little bit. So we’ve got two [new songs] done; they’ve gotta be mixed. We’ve got two other ones that need vocals and leads. [There are] three other demos and three other [tracks] we still have to demo. But [this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour] is the last thing we’re doing, so hopefully we’ll get [the rest of the album] done before we pick up and tour again in October.”
Hanneman did not take part in the recent recording sessions, but his absence did not affect the new labum’s scheduling since King typically records all the basic guitar parts himself.
Regarding whether he ever thought one of his bandmates would get sidelined by such a rare condition, King said, “You hear about it, but I didn’t even think we had that kind of spider in California. And I really think at the end of the day it’s a speculation, because his arm was so fucked up, I can’t imagine them even finding where they think it started, if you had my opinion. But, you know, that flesh-eating stuff, you can get scratched by a nail, you can get scratched by anything, and if you don’t take care of it, it’s gonna turn into something like that. But whatever got him, that is what happened — he had had the disease.”
Hanneman is being temporarily replaced on the road by EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, who has been described by King as “the Glenn Tipton of our era — really good, really polished and nobody talks about him. To this day, nobody really references [JUDAS] PRIEST and Tipton that much as guitar players and I feel the same way about Gary. EXODUS have a huge following but a little more overlooked than METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER, ANTHRAX — the ‘Big Four,’ so to speak, so [it's great] to be able to bring him to the forefront and shove him down people’s throats and say, ‘Hey, this motherfucker kicks ass. Pay attention.’”
