In a recently resurfaced interview with Loudwire, Slayer's Kerry King talked about his brief tenure as a guitarist in Megadeth while still with Slayer. King actually played at Megadeth's first five shows in 1984 before departing the group, and of course going on to have a wildly successful career in Slayer.
"I was lucky enough to see Metallica with Mustaine, and I say that just because it's a rare thing… I was so intrigued by Mustaine because he was just ripping on guitar… And I'm like, I can't do that to this day. So, I was just blown away at his guitar playing. I think it was through BC Rich that I found out that Dave was inquiring [about me].
"At the end of the day, I thought, 'This is a gigantic learning situation.' And I also thought people would see me and know me from Slayer, and if they saw me, it would at least make them think [of] Slayer. So, I had Slayer's best intentions in mind. I didn't go and say, 'Hey, I'm gonna be in Megadeth.'"
But here's where is gets good. Seemingly off-the-cuff, King says about Mustaine, "I don't know how anybody can be in Megadeth for more than a couple of hours—that guy's crazy." King claims that his tenure were "good times," but drugs and other activities assured his time in Megadeth would be short.
“His stuff is more—I wouldn’t say intricate because we have intricate parts, too—but he writes riffs in a very different perspective," said King. Asked if the split caused a rift between King and Mustaine that evolved into a rift between Megadeth and Slayer, King confirmed it had. "Yeah, I would say that's right." You can watch the full clip with King below.
Slayer played their final show in 2019 in Los Angeles, and King has been talking about a potential new band with (the rumored lineup of) Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, ex-Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo, and Exodus guitarist (and Slayer live mainstay) Gary Holt. Megadeth released of their new single "We'll Be Back" on last week alongside the official announcement of their new record The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! on September 2. Pre-orders for The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! are available here.
