SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, a member of the iconic “Big Four” of thrash metal, has suggested a replacement band for the group now that they’re less active. While METALLICA, ANTHRAX, and MEGADETH continue to tour and release new music, SLAYER‘s recent hiatus has led King to propose a new band to join the legendary quartet.
In an interview with Metal Hammer, King was asked which bands he believes would make up a “modern” version of the “Big 4.” He suggested that the lineup would remain largely unchanged, with another band taking SLAYER‘s spot.
“I don’t really know enough about 21st-century metal to speak too authoritatively on that, but I’d obviously pick LAMB OF GOD, who we’re playing a bunch of shows with,” King said.
“Beyond that, well, the other three of the Big Four still play… Maybe I’ll be a bro and let LAMB OF GOD take our spot up there with METALLICA, ANTHRAX and MEGADETH.”
SLAYER’s former drummer, Dave Lombardo, has weighed in on a long-standing debate about which band among the “Big Four” of thrash metal is superior. In a candid statement last year, Lombardo expressed his clear preference.
In a 2021 interview with Metal Hammer, King was asked what “was the vibe like” on first Big 4 show, which took place in Poland, in 2010.
“It was cool,” King responded. “The METALLICA quotient was weird for me because, even then, they were bigger than everybody. But we ran in very different circles. Unless we ran into them at a European festival somewhere, we didn’t see them very often. I know the photo you’re talking about and at that point I thought, ‘This will be really cool for the fans.’ By the end of that first show I thought, ‘You know what? That was cool for me, too.’”
On what he remembers from those shows, he said: “Just that we loaded our set. It’s hard to say ‘loaded our set’, because we only played eight or nine songs, but we played some heavy, heavy hitters. Just because we hadn’t played with METALLICA since the early 80s! We wanted to make a great showing and we went out there, guns f*cking blazing. And we had great shows. We wanted to make ourselves seen doing what we do best, and set the stage for METALLICA, because they’re coming out after Slayer and they’re going to be playing some heavy hitters, too.”
After concluding their last world tour in November 2019, SLAYER, featuring Tom Araya (bass, vocals), Kerry King (guitar), Gary Holt (guitar), and Paul Bostaph (drums), will headline three prominent festivals, Riot Fest, Louder Than Life and Aftershock Festival, marking their first live appearances since then.
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