Kerry King nearly didn’t go through with his awards ceremony appearance the day bandmate Jeff Hanneman died.
The Slayer leader drew criticism from some fans when he called for a “moment of noise” at the Revolver Golden Gods in 2013, after followers felt he hadn’t responded appropriately to Hanneman’s passing.
But he believes he did the best he could to follow his late colleague’s wishes – and he doesn’t regret his actions.
King tells Spotify Metal Talks: “I was scheduled to present an award with Zakk Wylde. I had a hard time just thinking about, ‘Do I do this? Do I not do this? I don’t know how to act.’
“And I said, ‘I can’t stand up Zakk Wylde. Jeff would want me to be at the show – just do it.’”
During his hour-long journey to the event, King came up with his “moment of noise” tribute idea. “I’m like, ‘I don’t want to bring the thing down.’
“I wanted to express what I thought Jeff would be stoked about. Jeff wouldn’t want a moment of silence, by no means. He wouldn’t be like that at all.”
He accepts his decision met a mixed response. “Some people loved it, some people hated it,” he says. “I think it was the best thing I could have done. To this day, I have no regrets about doing it – it didn’t make it a good day, but it made it a little better.”
Slayer launched 11th album Repentless last month. They tour the UK in November, with support from Anthrax.
