Legendary guitarist Kerry King is an integral part of Slayer becoming one of thrash metal’s famed and celebrated Big Four. Recently he talked about the roots of the Big Four and what has made Metallica so successful in an interview with Metal Hammer. “I liked it,” King said of first seeing Metallica. “I like speed metal or thrash metal – which hadn’t been named yet – which is what they were to me. I liked what they were doing with it and I was already into Venom. I’ve always been a big Venom fan, and I think that a cross between Venom, Judas Priest and Metallica kind of made Slayer what Slayer is.”
King also praised Megadeth guitarist and original Metallica axeman Dave Mustaine. “I looked up to Mustaine ever since he was in Metallica. I was in the crowd with (late Slayer guitarist) Jeff (Hanneman) actually, saying, ‘Look at that dude! He’s just ripping up there!’ He’s got a great style and in the beginning, it helped Metallica become what Metallica is. And let me tell you something – to this day, he’s a great guitar player.”
“… with Metallica, it was more – I don’t want to cheapen it by saying this – but it’s more everyman’s music. Like I said, I don’t mean that in a cheap way; it’s easier to get into for people than Slayer’s darker tones and darker lyrical vision. Metallica wrote stuff that anybody could like without going, ‘Why am I liking this?’ or, ‘Is it OK to like this?’”
Slayer guitarist Kerry King
King said that of the Big Four, Metallica were the best with vocal and guitar melodies. “Sure, (Slayer) had guitar harmonies but they were still on the darker side, whereas with Metallica, it was more – I don’t want to cheapen it by saying this – but it’s more everyman’s music. Like I said, I don’t mean that in a cheap way; it’s easier to get into for people than Slayer’s darker tones and darker lyrical vision. Metallica wrote stuff that anybody could like without going, ‘Why am I liking this?’ or, ‘Is it OK to like this?’ Whereas people have probably asked themselves about us for decades, ‘Is it OK to like Slayer?’ Ha ha!”
In 1991, Metallica’s self-titled “Black Album” became one of the most successful hard rock/heavy metal records of all time selling more than 16 million copies in the United States alone. The album polarized the metal community for its more commercial and accessible sound. “To this day, I like that record a lot,” King said. “I may not have been super-stoked on it, but I never hated it the way a lot of people did. I think it’s Metallica but I don’t think it’s thrash Metallica. You can hear where all the influences come from, from all of their older stuff. They just super-slowed it down and made it super-heavy; they made it super-catchy. That record probably sold more than all of my records, combined! Ha ha ha! There was so much grief over that when it came out. And to be honest with you, everything that came out after that for a long time, that’s what I have a problem with. But The Black Album? It’s still heavy. It’s got some fast stuff on it.”
Earlier this year, King made headlines in the metal world when he said that Slayer retired “too early.” Slayer played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles.
