Slayer guitarist Kerry King has slammed the idea that late bandmate Jeff Hanneman’s spirit is guiding the band.
He believes there’s no life after death, and so Hanneman, who died in 2013, can have no further influence on the thrash icons.
King tells The Village Voice: “Jeff is worm food. When you die, you go in the dirt. There is no doubt – doubt’s called ‘agnostic.’ I’m not agnostic.”
He previously told Metal Hammer that Repentless, the title track of the band’s upcoming 11th album, was written about his late colleague – and called it his “Hannemanthem.”
Now King reports: “I said, ‘You know what? I should write something about how I think Jeff looked at the world, because he looked at the world exactly how Slayer looked at the world.’”
He adds: “It was both easy and difficult. The difficult part was doing it justice – I didn’t just want to throw it together. I wanted it to be solid, as deep as it could be, without getting personal.”
Repentless is released on September 11 via Nuclear Blast after Slayer split with long-time producer and label boss Rick Rubin. They’re currently touring the US and return to Europe later this year:
Oct 25: Tilburg, Netherlands
Oct 26: Paris Le Zenith, France
Nov 05: Milan Alcatraz, Italy
Nov 07: Vienna Gasometer, Austria
Nov 08: Leipzig Haus Auensee, Germany
Nov 10: Munich Kulturhalle, Germany
Nov 12: Berlin C-Halle, Germany
Nov 13: Berlin C-Halle, Germany
Nov 15: Ludwigsburg MHP Arena, Germany
Nov 16: Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle, Germany
Nov 17: Brussels AB Hall, Belgium
Nov 19: Luxembourg Rockhal, Luxembourg
Nov 21: Newport Centre, UK
Nov 22: Plymouth Pavilions, UK
Nov 24: Manchester O2 Apollo, UK
Nov 25: Glasgow O2 Academy, UK
Nov 26: Vienna Gasometer, Austria
Nov 27: Birmingham O2 Academy, UK
Nov 28: Leeds O2 Academy, UK
Nov 30: London O2 Academy Brixton, UK
