SLAYER's KERRY KING: 'There Is A Gigantic Future Of Touring For Us' On 'World Painted Blood'

Chad Bowar of About.com recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

About.com: You've been playing the "Seasons In The Abyss" album in its entirety. Do you prefer that to a greatest-hits type set?

Kerry: I don't like being married to an entire album, because it manipulates what you can do in the set. When we're only playing an hour and ten minutes on this tour, and the album takes up 45; it basically leaves 5 or 6 songs.

About.com: ANTHRAX is the opening band on this tour. What do you think of Joey Belladonna's return to the group once again?

Kerry: I think that's the era that more people know from ANTHRAX. It leans to being more credible. It's kind of like Dave Ellefson coming back to MEGADETH, and they are playing "Rust In Peace". I think it makes more sense than still having James Lomenzo, even though Lomenzo is an old friend of mine.

About.com: How did the idea for the "Vinyl Conflict" release come about?

Kerry: Good question. I would imagine it's record company people trying to figure out how to make record companies mean something in a world where record companies don't mean much and are in decline all the time. It's a cool idea. I'm looking forward to having one myself.

About.com: It seems like vinyl is making a comeback the past few years.

Kerry: A lot of kids didn't have the chance to go through vinyl like people from my era did. For them it's a new means of getting cool art and things like picture discs. It's a new medium for a younger generation. People are really getting into audiophile stuff, and this is geared towards them, too.

About.com: Do you have a timetable for the next SLAYER studio album?

Kerry: Not really, because our record has been out for a year, and we've only been touring for about three months. There is a gigantic future of touring for us on this record. I wouldn't be surprised if we were touring through next summer.

About.com: Do you write songs on the road, or do you wait until you're at home in album writing mode?

Kerry: Generally the latter. But on my down time I can be working on some stuff. Not so much at home, but at gigs between the time you get there and the time you go on. We're usually at the gig by four o'clock and we don't go on until 9:45, so if I don't have any press I'm there stroking my dick for five hours.

About.com: When I interviewed Joey from ANTHRAX, he thought there was about a 70 percent chance a U.S. "Big 4" tour will happen at some point. Do you agree?

Kerry: Yeah, I have no problem with those odds. The only thing I think it would depend on is getting all the bands logistically able to do it. As far as I know everybody is totally into it, from METALLICA to MEGADETH to ANTHRAX to us. I totally want to bring it to the U.S., South America, Australia, Japan, Western Europe, anywhere it hasn't been. I think it was that important of a tour where people should be able to be a part of it rather than just see it at the cinema.

Read the entire interview from About.com.