junior high friends at Huntington Park until his mom arranged for him to commute to the Downey district Warren. In Warren, his knack for math sputtered out, and his aptitude for women blossomed. King was on his path.
The guitarist says his enduring antireligious theme isn’t rooted in any particular experience. He doesn’t have any religious background to speak of.
“I went to Sunday school one summer, ’cause I was kind of bored,” says King. “And I gave up on that.”
He doesn’t recall what denomination it was. Over the years, he’s compared religion of all stripes to brainwashing and mind control, and now proudly identifies himself as an atheist. Religion just bugs him.
“Being where we are, in the Inland Empire of California, it’s like a mini Bible-belt,” King explains. “If you’re an atheist or you write
SATANIST
on your window, those motherfuckers will key your car, because they’re blind-faith fanatical.”
King doesn’t have a big reason for his teenage clean living, either. It’s just what he did. King is all-in or all-out.
“I’ve never done drugs in my life,” says King. “At that point, I didn’t know if I was ever going to drink. I just didn’t know if it was for me. And I’ve never been one to rush into things. I didn’t drink until I was twenty-one—not because of the legality, but because that was my time. So once I found my vice, I’m real good at that one, and that’s fine.”
Since the explosion of the Internet, King has emerged as the most outspoken man in metal. Privately, nine of ten metal musicians have extensive thoughts about where and why Metallica and Megadeth went wrong. King has the most candid critiques of his peers and heroes. When a band he likesloses a step, he’s downright offended.
“I try to take all my experiences from growing up as a fan and apply them to Slayer,” says King. “I think that’s why our fans are so dedicated to us. Unfortunately, the first time I saw Priest was on
Point of Entry
. I’d seen pictures of them all in leather, studded out. And that was only tour in history where [singer Rob] Halford wore denim. And I hadn’t heard Maiden before, and Maiden opened, and they kicked the shit out of ’em. And it’s always a dark thought in the back of my mind: ‘I can’t let that happen.’”
Over the years, droves of rockers have gracefully evolved into mild, tea-drinking, wisdom-spouting professionals who just play a character onstage. King might be the one member of the class of ’81 who’s measurably more metal than he was in ’86. Drinking aside, he still does what he did as a teenager: He collects reptiles and consumes a steady diet of metal, making it through his day with the help of an iPhone loaded with Arch Enemy, Chimaira, and In Flames.
“It was kind of fun to watch Kerry’s transition as he shaved his head and put tattoos all over and became this complete hellion,” says bassist Dave Ellefson, who played with King during the guitarist’s brief tenure in Megadeth. “He was like Gene Simmons: He created this role, and he grew into it. Kerry is a great visionary.”
DJ-RR: The Producer, Rick Rubin. And the Label, Def Jam.
In 2007, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences members honored Rick Rubin with a Producer of the Year Grammy Award, for work that included Slayer,pop superstar Justin Timberlake, embattled country stars the Dixie Chicks, and funky-punks-turned-arena-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The award capped a twenty-plus-year hot streak. He’s risen from New York hip-hop producer prodigy to West Coast music business overlord. And that journey began with the production of the fiercest metal album of the thrash era, Slayer’s
Reign in Blood
.
“It helped change the perception from me being viewed as a hip-hop producer to that of a music producer,” says Rubin.
By introducing pop-song structures to the previously undisciplined field of rap, Rubin had revolutionized hip-hop. As far
The guitarist says his enduring antireligious theme isn’t rooted in any particular experience. He doesn’t have any religious background to speak of.
“I went to Sunday school one summer, ’cause I was kind of bored,” says King. “And I gave up on that.”
He doesn’t recall what denomination it was. Over the years, he’s compared religion of all stripes to brainwashing and mind control, and now proudly identifies himself as an atheist. Religion just bugs him.
“Being where we are, in the Inland Empire of California, it’s like a mini Bible-belt,” King explains. “If you’re an atheist or you write
SATANIST
on your window, those motherfuckers will key your car, because they’re blind-faith fanatical.”
King doesn’t have a big reason for his teenage clean living, either. It’s just what he did. King is all-in or all-out.
“I’ve never done drugs in my life,” says King. “At that point, I didn’t know if I was ever going to drink. I just didn’t know if it was for me. And I’ve never been one to rush into things. I didn’t drink until I was twenty-one—not because of the legality, but because that was my time. So once I found my vice, I’m real good at that one, and that’s fine.”
Since the explosion of the Internet, King has emerged as the most outspoken man in metal. Privately, nine of ten metal musicians have extensive thoughts about where and why Metallica and Megadeth went wrong. King has the most candid critiques of his peers and heroes. When a band he likesloses a step, he’s downright offended.
“I try to take all my experiences from growing up as a fan and apply them to Slayer,” says King. “I think that’s why our fans are so dedicated to us. Unfortunately, the first time I saw Priest was on
Point of Entry
. I’d seen pictures of them all in leather, studded out. And that was only tour in history where [singer Rob] Halford wore denim. And I hadn’t heard Maiden before, and Maiden opened, and they kicked the shit out of ’em. And it’s always a dark thought in the back of my mind: ‘I can’t let that happen.’”
Over the years, droves of rockers have gracefully evolved into mild, tea-drinking, wisdom-spouting professionals who just play a character onstage. King might be the one member of the class of ’81 who’s measurably more metal than he was in ’86. Drinking aside, he still does what he did as a teenager: He collects reptiles and consumes a steady diet of metal, making it through his day with the help of an iPhone loaded with Arch Enemy, Chimaira, and In Flames.
“It was kind of fun to watch Kerry’s transition as he shaved his head and put tattoos all over and became this complete hellion,” says bassist Dave Ellefson, who played with King during the guitarist’s brief tenure in Megadeth. “He was like Gene Simmons: He created this role, and he grew into it. Kerry is a great visionary.”
DJ-RR: The Producer, Rick Rubin. And the Label, Def Jam.
In 2007, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences members honored Rick Rubin with a Producer of the Year Grammy Award, for work that included Slayer,pop superstar Justin Timberlake, embattled country stars the Dixie Chicks, and funky-punks-turned-arena-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The award capped a twenty-plus-year hot streak. He’s risen from New York hip-hop producer prodigy to West Coast music business overlord. And that journey began with the production of the fiercest metal album of the thrash era, Slayer’s
Reign in Blood
.
“It helped change the perception from me being viewed as a hip-hop producer to that of a music producer,” says Rubin.
By introducing pop-song structures to the previously undisciplined field of rap, Rubin had revolutionized hip-hop. As far
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