Kerry King has revealed that he and his former Slayer bandmate Tom Araya haven't exchanged a single word of conversation, a single text message or a single email since the thrash metal legends split five years ago.
Slayer played their final show on November 30, 2019, at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and in an exclusive interview with RollingStone.com, guitarist King, who has admitted that he was somewhat blindsided by Araya's decision to retire from music, says that the pair have not been in contact since.
"I don’t wish him dead at this moment," King states at one point, which is about as much love as he shows for Araya during his three-hour conversation with writer Kory Grow.
Asked by Grow, "Have you talked to Tom at all since the last show?", King, who says that the pair are "very different people" replies, "Not even a text. Not even an email. I’ve talked to everybody else from the band on the phone, text, or email. If Tom hit me up, I’d probably respond. It probably depends on what he hit me up for, but I don’t wish him dead at this moment."
King also reveals that he was "super pissed off" with Araya when Slayer's vocalist/bassist posted a mocked-up photo of the band and Donald Trump on Slayer's social media channels on the day of Trump's inauguration as President of the United States in January 2017, "but not enough to fucking quit my band."
The guitarist tells Rolling Stone, "I was like, Dude, that’s what your personal social media is for. You’re the only one in this band that gives a shit about this idiot, and when you put it up there, we’re all backing him. And I am not [backing Trump], Gary’s not, Paul is not. That’s your opinion, not ours."
Read the full interview with Kerry King here.
King's interview with Rolling Stone coincided with the release of Idle Hands, the debut single from his new band, which features Death Angel frontman Mark Osegueda on vocals, ex-Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders and his former Slayer bandmate Paul Bostaph on drums.
