Legendary Slayer guitarist Kerry King recently shared his enthusiasm for one of Metallica’s recent tracks. In an interview with Nikki Blakk, King discussed the 1980s thrash metal scene and the evolution of iconic bands in the genre. In particular, he expressed his love for the song “Spit Out the Bone” from Metallica’s 2016 album Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, calling the track “an absolute killer”—a rare compliment coming from one of the thrash metal scene’s stalwarts.
Slayer: The Thrashiest of the Big Four?
Thrash metal, which appeared in the early 1980s, shook up the codes of Heavy Metal. Among the bands that marked this era, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax are often referred to as the Big Four of thrash. According to Kerry King, if these groups initially had similar sounds, they quickly took distinct musical directions.
King explained that Slayer has stayed true to its original style, which focused on brutal, fast-paced intensity. “As we grew up and each went our own way, we remained the thrashiest band of the Big Four.”he said. He stressed, however, that this orientation did not make Slayer “better” than others, but simply “different.”
Also read: Max Cavalera: “The original spirit of Sepultura is now with Cavalera”
Metallica’s Return to Thrash
During his interview, King also noted that Metallica, after moving away from thrash in the 1990s with more mainstream-oriented albums, had returned to more aggressive sounds with their recent releases. “They’ve released some really powerful albums in recent years.”he said. He particularly mentioned Spit Out the Bone, a song that he said captures the thrash spirit that Metallica helped popularize in its early days.
Kerry King continues his momentum
As Slayer prepares to play its first shows in five years, starting with Riot Fest in Bridgeview, Illinois, on September 22, King is also continuing his solo career. His debut album, From Hell I Rise, was released earlier this year and he has several more shows planned in South America and Australia before the end of 2024.
Kerry King’s interview with Nikki Blakk:
