“Rob Halford shows up in a jean jacket and I’m like, ‘Oh, this guy, come on!’” Slayer’s Kerry King explains why Judas Priest were a “letdown” at 1981 gig
· louderBy Matt Mills
( Metal Hammer )
published 24 September 2024
Slayer’s guitarist was gutted the first time he saw Judas Priest onstage 40-plus years ago
Slayer’s Kerry King has called the first time he saw Judas Priest live a “letdown”.
The guitarist, who last week returned to the stage with Slayer for the first time in five years, makes the admission during a new interview with Nikki Blakk of San Mateo radio station 107.7 The Bone. The host asks King to name the “catalyst” that drew him to heavy metal when he was young.
“Probably hearing Priest on the radio,” he answers (per Ultimate Guitar). “We had two rock stations back then, and I heard Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight, or something on [1980 album] British Steel. I didn’t know who Judas Priest was at that point in my life, believe it or not. And I’m like, ‘Cool, I like the singer, I like there’s two guitars.’”
King then moves on to the “letdown” concert, which took place during Judas Priest’s tour for maligned 1981 album Point Of Entry. He was particularly disappointed in the appearance of singer Rob Halford, who’d traded his iconic all-leather attire for lots and lots of denim.
“The whole time before this, Halford is in his leather and studs and everything,” the guitarist says, “and that fucking tour he shows up in a fucking jean sweatsedo; a jean jacket, and denim jeans. I’m like, ‘Oh, this guy, come on!’ It was just a letdown for me, from all the photos you’ve seen back then in magazines.”
Nonetheless, King finishes by praising Halford, calling the vocalist his “number one” in heavy metal. “But yeah, Priest was killer, and he’s my favourite singer since the dawn of time. He’s always my number one. That’s tough to say, being a friend of Ronnie James Dio, but Dio has always been my number two. Sorry, bro.”
Slayer ended a five-year retirement on Sunday (September 22) when they headlined Riot Fest in Chicago. The thrash legends performed a 20-song setlist that included the rarities Reborn and 213, which had gone unplayed since 2014 and 1998 respectively. They’ll play again at Louder Than Live in Kentucky on Friday (September 27) and at Aftershock in Sacramento on October 10.
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Earlier this year, King said that Slayer shows post-reactivation will be few and far between. He told Classic Rock History, “It’ll be fun to play with [guitarist] Gary Holt for a few gigs; I haven’t seen him in almost five years, so that will be cool. And it’ll be cool to get together with [bassist/vocalist] Tom Araya and spit some hate out at people, but don’t get used to this being a yearly event.”
King released his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, in May.
Kerry King in Conversation With Nikki Blakk - YouTube
Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
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