KERRY KING Dives Into His Relationship With TOM ARAYA & The Death Of JEFF HANNEMAN

Slayer guitarist Kerry King and vocalist and bassist Tom Araya haven’t had the closest relationship since the end of Slayer in 2019. King said in a 2024 interview that he hardly spoke to Araya, noting “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.”

So it was a little shocking that mere months after King made that comment, Slayer announced some reunion shows. So what gives? What’s King and Araya‘s relationship these days? According to King in an interview with Cucamonga, a lot of the duo’s disconnect had to do with the death of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman.

“I think Jeff‘s passing weighed harder on Tom than it did me. And I don’t mean that from any kind of friendship perspective. It’s just my taking wasn’t as bad as Tom took it. Of course it was horrible, and no one ever wanted that to happen, but it really weighed on Tom. I think that’s what led to him wanting to retire earlier than me, because I think he felt the band was different. But then, out of nowhere, Tom decided he wanted to play some [Slayer] shows last year, and I went, ‘Well, I never wanted to stop playing shows. So, yeah, let’s try it out.'”

King continued: “Just like it was in [the earlier years of] Slayer, [Tom and I] don’t talk on the phone. We rarely text each other. And that’s just because when you’re together for 40 years — he became a very different person. He’s not the guy I started the band with. Not personally — just him; he’s a different person.

“I basically stayed very similar to who I’ve been in my twenties. And I like Tom. We’re cool. We got together [last year to rehearse for the Slayer reunion concerts]. It wasn’t weird. We did those two shows. He was super happy.

“We got together after the second one, had a shot after the show. He’ll drink tequila and I love tequila, so that’s what we had. And I think the first idea to play [with Slayer again] this year was for the [Louder Than Life festival] show we missed last year ’cause of the hurricane. So we rebooked that and [I] said, ‘If we never play another show, I wanna make that right with the promoter,’ because it wasn’t our fault. But he wanted us to play. So we’re playing there this year. And this year we get to play that Black Sabbath show. I can’t fucking wait.”

Slayer‘s 2025 shows thus far are now:

7/3 Cardiff, UK Blackweir Fields (+ Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed & Neckbreakker)
7/5 Birmingham, UK Villa Park
7/6 London, UK Finsbury Park (+ Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed & Neckbreakker)
7/11 Québec City, QC Festival d’été de Québec
9/18 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life @ Highland Festival Grounds
9/20 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium (+ Knocked Loose, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Cavalera & Exodus)