Slayer’s Kerry King Talks About His Current Relationship With Tom Araya: ‘He’s A Different Person’

Slayer guitarist Kerry King has provided insight into the complex dynamics within the iconic thrash band, particularly concerning the impact of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman‘s death and his own relationship with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya.

Speaking recently with Luiz Cesar Pimentel of Brazil’s Cucamonga, King reflected on how Hanneman‘s passing in 2013 seemed to affect Araya profoundly, potentially contributing to Araya‘s desire to retire from the band years later. Hanneman tragically died from alcohol-related cirrhosis on May 2, 2013, after battling necrotizing fasciitis contracted from a spider bite in 2011, which had already forced him into semi-retirement.

“I think Jeff‘s passing weighed harder on Tom than it did me,” King stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “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.”

King had previously told Rolling Stone that Araya‘s decision to retire stemmed from “the wear and tear of the road” and a desire to be home. He recalled finding out about Araya‘s intentions indirectly: “We were on tour and some kid was interviewing him, and he said something about, ‘I’ve got to get together with Kerry and talk before we talk about the next record.’ He should have just said, ‘I’m probably not going to do another record,’ or had that conversation with me before he mentioned anything like that. I was just assuming, ‘Oh f**k, what’s this going to be?’ And it was, ‘I’m done.’ Not what I expected. But if you made that decision, I’m not going to try to talk you out of it because your heart’s not going to be in it anyway.”

Despite King never wanting to stop touring, Slayer played their final show in November 2019. However, the band surprised fans with reunion show announcements last year.

“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 explained to Cucamonga.

King also shed light on his current relationship with Araya, acknowledging their different personalities while maintaining they are on good terms.

“Just like it was in [the earlier years of] Slayer, [Tom and I] don’t talk on the phone,” King continued. “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.”

He elaborated on this difference in the Rolling Stone interview: “Me and Tom have never been on the same page. Like if I want a chocolate shake, he wants a vanilla shake. ‘Kerry, what color is the sky?’ Blue. ‘Tom, what color is the sky?’ White. We’re just different people. The further on in years we got, it just became more.”

Despite these differences, King affirmed their professional respect and cordiality. “And I like Tom. We’re cool,” he told Cucamonga. “We got together [last year to rehearse for the SLAYER reunion concerts]. It wasn’t weird… He was super happy. We got together after the second one [Riot Fest and Aftershock shows], had a shot after the show. He’ll drink tequila and I love tequila, so that’s what we had.”

He echoed this sentiment to Rolling Stone: “Am I going to hang out with Tom? He likes tequila a little bit and I’m a big tequila-head, so I’ll have my shot with him, and we’ll part ways. We’re not going to hang out or anything because we are very different people. And together, we made great music and a great live show.”

Looking ahead, King mentioned upcoming Slayer performances, driven partly by a desire to fulfill a past commitment. “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 [in early July in Birmingham, United Kingdom]. I can’t f**king wait.”

Slayer’s confirmed 2025 concert dates are:

• July 03, 2025 – Cardiff, UK – Blackweir Fields (with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker)
• July 05, 2025 – Birmingham, UK – Villa Park (The Black Sabbath date King referred to)
• July 06, 2025 – London, UK – Finsbury Park (with Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker)
• July 11, 2025 – Québec City, QC – Festival d’été de Québec
• September 18, 2025 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life @ Highland Festival Grounds
• September 20, 2025 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium (with Knocked Loose, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Cavalera and Exodus)