Slayer’s Kerry King Says Tom Araya ‘Very Unclear’ on Future of Band
Earlier this year, we spoke with Slayer's Tom Araya about touring and the possibility of retirement came up. During the chat, the rocker told us with a laugh, "At 35 years, it's time to collect my pension," but went on to admit that it may be time to think about retirement, also revealing that it's getting harder and harder to return to the road. During a recent chat with EMP Rockinvasion (seen above), guitarist Kerry King was also asked about Slayer's future and Araya's hints that he may be considering hanging it up.
"He's very unclear," stated King of Araya. "That's just how he is. I don't know if he likes holding his cards in his pocket or what. I mean, I don't have an answer." The guitarist went on to add, I'm holding off a lot of things I wanna do at home, just 'cause I don't know if I'm gonna be working in two years. I'm gonna be working, hopefully in Slayer. Yeah, dude. What else am I gonna do? I came out of high school and f--king went on tour. [Laughs]."
As for his own thoughts on retirement, King stated, "Not for me. Not for me, man -- especially on such a good record." When posed the idea of another 35 years, King stated, "Well, I don't know about that, but I'll take another record or two."
As stated, Slayer are enjoying an uptick in their career with their current album Repentless. The album has yielded the songs "Implode," "When the Stillness Comes," "Cast the First Stone," "You Against You" and the title track, and it debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in the fall of 2015. Slayer have toured extensively in support of the album, and they're currently on tour in Europe ahead of another North American run starting in September. See their dates here.
Slayer's Tom Araya Discusses the Pros and Cons of Touring
Slayer's Tom Araya Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'
See Where Slayer's Discs Landed on the Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s