In an interview with Blunt Magazine during his tour in Australia with his solo band, Slayer guitarist Kerry King said the heavy metal scene is ‘more of a brotherhood’ than any other genre. “Metal is more of a brotherhood than any kind of music that I can think of. I thought that 20 years ago.” He also insisted that metal scene is not ‘alienating.’ “You would see older brothers bringing younger siblings or even parents bringing their kids because this kind of music isn’t alienating in a family environment. You know what I mean?”
“It was a 400-seater, it was tiny. So there was a lot of our probably first-generation fans. But, yeah, all the time I see kids in Slayer shirts, kids in Kerry King shirts. You know – Metallica, Megadeth,” he added.
As Slayer’s lead guitarist since 1981 and now a solo artist with his 2024 album ‘From Hell I Rise,’ King has played a big role in shaping the genre over the past 40 years. However, when it comes to the future of metal and the current state of the scene, he doesn’t share the same worries as others. “I think metal music is fine,” he said during a Q&A event in Germany. “There’s a lot of everyone’s heroes still playing – a lot of my heroes still play. Most of the Big Four still play, I’m still playing… There’s lots of new bands too. I don’t get CDs as much now so it tends to be a lot of satellite radio when I’m on the West Coast rehearsing and renting cars, but I hear a lot of bands doing interesting sh*t that is important.”
King is done with the 2024 shows and is preparing for his 2025 shows. The rocker’s first show in 2025 is to take place on January 15 in San Francisco, California.
