Slayer fans aren’t as harsh on support acts as they used to be, says guitarist Kerry King.
And he’s glad the days of watching colleagues becoming victims are over.
The thrash icons recently confirmed the launch of 11th album Repentless – their first without co-founder Jeff Hanneman, who died in 2013.
King tells Full Metal Jackie: “I think more so now than the early days, they’re more acceptable to quality music, which is cool.
“I used to hate to watch friends just get pummelled. I remember Alice In Chains were opening and they got destroyed by the fans – and they were awesome.
“I was out there almost every day, and it would put me out to see gallon jars of shit being thrown onstage. They manned up and dealt with it. That was their trial by fire.”
He accepts some blame for putting AIC on the Clash Of The Titans bill. “I kind of get it for that one because it was a thrash metal fest, and they’re hard rock at best,” he says. “But they’re a great band. It was unfortunate but they took it in their stride.”
Without comparing Slayer to AC/DC, King believes there’s a similarity in their followers’ attitudes. “If you’re an AC/DC fan you know what the record is going to sound like – you know you’re going to like it. I think Slayer has done that throughout our history.”
Repentless is released on September 11. The band have just confirmed the first dates of a European tour with Anthrax and openers Kvelertak, with many more to be added:
Oct 25: Tilburg 013, Netherlands
Oct 26: Paris Le Zenith, France
Nov 07: Vienna Gasometer, Austria
