In a new interview with Phoenix New Times, Slayer guitarist Kerry King talks about his influences, playing with legends who have passed on, and who he is as a person.

Asked how Judas Priest singer Rob Halford evolved into his favorite singer, and when he first heard Priest or saw them perform, King reponds: “First time I saw him, would’ve been… Point of Entry tour, um... I follow it chronologically by album. Not the dates of the album… but I think that was ’80, maybe ’81? When British Steel came around, I was a little too young to go to it by myself. And that’s why I found them on the radio. Without, you know we didn’t have the internet obviously, so the stuff I would’ve heard on the radio would’ve been “Breaking The Law” or “Living After Midnight”, which are basically rock and roll songs. But you get British Steel, and you find rapid fire and all the double stuff, then you do your backwards homework which you had to do for a lot of bands, and you find Hellbent For Leather (1978), Sad Wings Of Destiny (1976), and all the original classic stuff, and you realize that there’s way more to this band than “Living After Midnight”.

“Rob is what I call a vocal ninja. The stuff he does in the '70s, '80s, even '90s, and even today, he can’t hit the notes from his heyday, but he goes out and puts on a hell of a show. But the thing he does, the shrill crazy Rob Halford scream is I think what got me. It wasn’t about wearing leather and chains, but, of course, Priest are idols of me, and I think you spend the early part of your career emulating your idols, and we were definitely guilty of that.”

Read the full interview at Phoenix New Times.

Slayer are currently on a North American tour with Lamb Of God and Behemoth. VIP packages and VIP ticket upgrades are available at this location.

Remaining dates:

August
15 - SMS Equipment Stadium - Fort McMurray, AB
17 - KettleHouse Amphitheater - Missoula, MT
19 - Isleta Amphitheater - Albuquerque, NM
20 - Comerica Theater - Phoenix, AZ