Slayer guitarist Kerry King has named the albums he considers perfect from start to finish.
During an appearance on the Lipps Service podcast, the 60-year-old lists Stained Class by Judas Priest, Sabotage by Black Sabbath, Powerage by AC/DC and Master Of Puppets by fellow thrash metal pioneers Metallica.
The one hump the guitarist hits is trying to pick between the seminal Iron Maiden albums Killers and The Number Of The Beast.
“Maiden’s tough, because it’s a very different vibe between Killers and Number Of The Beast,” he says. “I’d probably have to go Number Of The Beast because, top to bottom, I think it’s stronger than Killers, just because of the ballad-y type tune on Killers, I can’t remember what it’s called [Prodigal Son]. That’s a hard pick, because Killers is a great record.”
King, who co-founded Slayer in 1981, is a noted fan of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. The band covered Maiden and Judas Priest at their earliest concerts. Plus, in an interview last year, the guitarist called Priest the “catalyst” which got him into metal music.
“We had two rock stations back then, and I heard Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight, or something on [1980 album] British Steel,” he remembered. “I didn’t know who Judas Priest was at that point in my life, believe it or not. And I’m like, ‘Cool, I like the singer, I like there’s two guitars.’”
However, back in the spring, King admitted that he “can’t be bothered” with modern Maiden albums, believing that their songs have become too long.
“I haven’t heard [singer Bruce Dickinson’s 2024 solo album The Mandrake Project], but I have a friend who told me it’s better than Iron Maiden,” he said. “Wouldn’t surprise me – nothing against Maiden, but their songs have gotten so long, man, I just can’t be bothered with it. And my attention span isn’t that much.”
Slayer retired in 2019 following an extensive world tour but reunited last year as a live-only act. King recently said that the reactivated thrashers won’t record new music or embark on a full-length tour ever again.
However, the band are set to play at Louder Than Life festival in September, after their planned performance last year was cancelled amidst adverse weather.
In between Slayer shows, King also has a solo career. He released his debut album, From Hell I Rise, in May and his band are currently in the middle of their first North American headline tour.
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