Slayer reunited in 2024 for a pair of shows, marking the metal icons’ first live performances since concluding their farewell tour in 2019. Speaking with ABC Audio, guitarist Kerry King reflects on what playing with Slayer again meant to him and how it reminded him of the Big 4 shows they did with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax back in 2010 and 2011.
“When we went in the Big 4, I’m like, ‘This is gonna be cool for the fans. Whatever. Here we are,"” King recalls. “And it was way more than that. When I got there and I was a part of it, I’m like, ‘This is really important, this is really big."”
In playing the Slayer reunion shows, King felt “the exact same thing.”
“I went on stage, I’m like, ‘Eh, five-year anniversary of our last tour, whatever. Fans will get a good kick out of it,"” he says. “I got goosebumps, and it was like, ‘This is massive.’ Way bigger than I ever gave it credit for.”
As for future Slayer shows, King remains adamant that the farewell tour was indeed the band’s final tour — “It absolutely will not translate to tours,” he says of the reunion — though one-off, “limited” performances are still on the table. They already have a set lined up at Kentucky’s 2025 Louder than Life after their scheduled 2024 performance at the festival was canceled due to weather.
King adds that he’s expecting one call in particular.
“I know Europe’s gonna say, ‘Hey, you did a U.S. show, come over here,"” King says. “I’m not against that, we’ll see what pans out.”
King, meanwhile, will be busy with his solo band, which launches a U.S. tour in January.
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