KERRY KING Says He Was ‘Angry’ When SLAYER Retired: ‘I Can Still Play, I Still Want To Play’

Kerry King expressed his extreme displeasure when it was initially proposed to split SLAYER, labeling the idea as “premature” in an exclusive interview with Metal Hammer. He revealed that at first he responded with nothing short of pure anger.

When asked about his initial reaction when conversation about ending the band started, King responded: “Anger… what else? It was premature. The reason I say ‘premature’ is because my heroes from my childhood are still playing! I can still play, I still want to play, but that livelihood got taken away from me. 

“But, anyway, on to the next chapter, I guess. We were on top of the world, and there’s nothing wrong with going out on top of the world, it’s a good way to go out. So, bravo for that. But do I miss playing? Yeah, absolutely.”

Kerry also added that the farewell tour took an emotional toll on them. “Every one of those shows was a bummer! We were going to all these places and all these cities where we have all this history,” he said. “It’s a bummer to think, ‘I’m not gonna see my friends there again.’ You’d get to that country and know you were going to see these people, and you’d see them yearly. I haven’t seen them now in three years. That sucks. And the fans, too. SLAYER means a lot to our fans, and they mean a lot to us. I know I will see these people again, but no SLAYER leaves a big hole for a lot of people.”

During the interview, the guitarist suggested that his upcoming solo project – still unnamed at this time – will be something that SLAYER fans will love. “If you know my work, you know what it’s going to sound like,” he says.

SLAYER played its final show of their farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Kerry King‘s wife, Ayesha King, said that there is “not a chance in hell” that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more shows.