Kerry King Says Pandemic Failed To Spark New Wave Of Metal Talent: ‘New Bands I’m Not Really Familiar With’

Slayer legend Kerry King has offered a blunt assessment of the current state of heavy metal, expressing disappointment that the global pandemic did not result in a new wave of guitar-driven bands as he had anticipated.

In a recent interview with “Reigning Phoenix Music“, the guitarist reflected on the health of the scene, noting that despite the isolation of the COVID-19 era providing ample time for practice, a fresh explosion of talent has yet to materialize.

“New bands I’m not really familiar with,” King admitted (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “I really thought the pandemic would jumpstart things, because people had nothing to do. You know, might as well learn an instrument. But in the wake of the pandemic, I still haven’t seen an infusion of new bands, in my opinion.”

King acknowledged that his own radar might be dated, citing the melodic death metal boom of the late 90s as the last time he felt a genuine movement taking hold.

“I’m also very far behind on it too, like the last strong induction of thrashy type bands, for me, would have been when the Scandinavian [scene] got hot, like In Flames. That was 25 years ago. There’s been a handful of bands since then,” he said. “I think Lamb of God‘s been around almost that long. But [apart from that], I got nothing.”

While King successfully launched his eponymous solo band in 2024 following the retirement of Slayer, he remains realistic about the longevity of the project. Starting a new chapter at “almost 60” brings inherent physical limitations, specifically regarding the athletic nature of thrash metal performance.

“I wish I did, but I started a new band when I was almost 60… I thought it would have been really cool if this band started, like, 20 years ago, so we can have a gigantic career,” King reflected. “Because now, it’s gonna be age-related. There’s gonna be a time when it doesn’t work. There’s gonna be a time where I don’t feel like head banging. I don’t know when that is, but it’s physical music, so we’ve all got to be willing to go up there.”

For King, the priority is integrity over tenure. He expressed a desire to bow out before the intensity of the show diminishes.

“When you don’t [go up there], people are gonna say, ‘Well, they used to be like this, and now they’re like this, and it ain’t cool.’ And I don’t want that to happen,” he stated. “I want to be focused. I want to keep us relevant and keep giving people music, and hope people jump on that… and infuse this scene with thrashy kind of music.”