The US Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum Of History has released a video feature, celebrating Slayer’s history of musical invention and innovation.
In the six-minute profile, Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph look back to how they helped form the thrash metal movement.
Frontman Araya recalls the phone call from guitarist King that got him involved, saying: “He mentioned Iron Maiden, and I’m thinking, ‘Who’s that?’ So I went out and bought the record, and when I listened to it I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
King remembers the challenge of securing early shows in California as the band aimed to be “anti-Ratt, anti-Motley Crue – anything we could do to not be a hair band.”
Drummer Bostaph agrees: “I thought, ‘I want to play drums and I want to kick ass.’ If I have to spend two hours doing makeup before I go on stage, I’m not interested.”
And guitarist Holt reflects: “Thrash has endured because the music’s honest – it’s real, it’s from the heart.”
Slayer release 11th album Repentless next month and they’ll return to the UK in November for a run of seven dates with Anthrax.
