Slayer future ‘very unclear’ says Kerry King

Slayer’s Kerry King says the future of the band is “very unclear” as frontman Tom Araya appears to be considering retirement.

And the guitarist has suggested that he’d be happy with managing to extend the thrash icons’ career for another two records.

Araya recently discussed the possibility of bowing out after 35 years, saying: “It just gets harder and harder to come back out on the road.”

Asked about those comments, King tells EMP Rock Invasion: “He’s very unclear. That’s just how he is. I don’t know if he likes holding his cards in his pocket or what.

“I don’t have an answer. I’m holding off a lot of things I want to do at home, just because I don’t know if I’m going to be working in two years.

“I’m going to be working, hopefully in Slayer. What else am I going to do?”

He adds that, as far as he’s concerned, there’s no end in sight following the release of 11th album Repentless – “especially after such a good record.”

In reply to the suggestion that the band could continue for another 35 years, King replies: “I don’t know about that – I’ll take another record or two.”

Earlier this year Araya admitted he’d had concerns over the creation of Repentless, which followed the death of co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman.

The frontman said: “On previous records, Kerry would say, ‘This is how I want it done.’ Jeff would give you feedback. So that was my concern: how everything was going to sound compared to a record that would have Jeff there.”

But he continued: “The doubt went out the window. It was like, ‘This is Slayer. Fans are going to like this, because I like this.”

The band’s European festival tour includes an appearance at Bloodstock Open Air in Derbyshire on August 14, followed by more North American dates.

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Slayer 2016 tour dates

Aug 07: Lokeren Lokerse Feesten, Belgium
Aug 10: Colmar Theatre de Plein Air, France
Aug 12: Leeuwarden Into The Grave, Netherlands
Aug 14: Catton Park Bloodstock, UK
Aug 17: Bratislava Aegon Arena, Slovakia
Aug 19: Wilburgstetten Summer Breeze, Germany
Aug 20: Hamburg Elb-Riot Festival, Germany
Sep 09: Cleveland Jacob’s Pavilion, OH
Sep 10: Detroit Freedom Hill Amphitheatre, MI
Sep 12: Toronto Sound Academy, ON
Sep 13: Montreal Metropolis, QC
Sep 15: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Sep 20: Indianapolis Egyptian Room, IN
Sep 22: St Louis The Pageant, MO
Sep 27: Orlando Hard Rock Live, FL
Sep 28: Miami Fillmore, FL
Sep 30: Tunica Horseshoe Casino, MS
Oct 03: Norfolk Norva, VA
Oct 05: Atlanta Tabernacle, GA
Oct 07: Dallas Gas Monkey Live, TX
Oct 08: Austin ACL At The Moody Theatre, TX
Oct 10: Denver Fillmore, CO
Oct 11: Salt Lake City The Complex, UT
Oct 13: Missoula The Wilma Theatre, MT
Oct 17: Lethbridge Enmax Center, AB
Oct 19: Penticton South Okanagan Events Centre, BC
Oct 20: Abbotsford Centre, BC
Oct 23: Reno Events Center, NV
Oct 27: El Paso County Coliseum, TX

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.