Slayer’s Kerry King on the Rigors of Recording

"The recording process is never fun," Slayer's always intimidating, yet always affable Kerry King told Noisecreep. "It's [drummer] Dave's [Lombardo] second record back, so that's fun. But when I am recording, that's when I realize it's a job."

But it's a kick a-- job at that. King explained that the most recent recording felt more job-like because the band entered the studio without completely crafted tunes. "We went in without complete songs, so we went into the studio a little more blind than usual," King commented. "When you put yourself in that situation, you will inadvertently change the songs, since the end result will also sound different than you intended."

Another reason why recording reminds the bald 'n burly guitarist that music is a job is because "it's not like going on stage and having fun! That's the bonus of my job," laughed King. "This is the part that is tedious, where I am worrying about getting it right or making things sounds perfect. We've been recording for three months, off and on, and it's just time to be done with it. You get to the point where you start to over think things and then you know it's time to cut the wire and say it's done!"

King was also diplomatic when asked about how he feels about those zealous, rabid and uber-passionate Slayer fans being notoriously rough on opening acts, chanting "Slay-er! Slay-er!" during their set. "It's not like it was in the 1980s," King said. "But nowadays, if you bring a quality product, the kids are going to be into it. To me, bands are not as one dimensional as they were back then. If you suck, you get pelted. If you don't, you won't." So that's a memo for all bands hoping to open for the mighty Slayer. Don't suck it.