Slayer’s Kerry King: 'Iron Maiden & Metallica are living on past successes'
Both bands are relying on early records, he claims
Slayer guitarist Kerry King has suggested that Metallica and Iron Maiden are living on their past successes.
In a candid interview with RVAMag, the rock titan was discussing whether metal relies too heavily on nostalgia instead of embracing the new.
Admitting that Slayer too are, to a certain extent, relying on their distinguished back catalogue, King said: "We're living on our history for sure but so is everyone else, yet we're the ones trying to push ourselves forward. I would say Maiden and Metallica, no offense, are living on past success.”
Expanding on his point, King added: “Metallica has toured forever on the 'Black' record which a lot of people don't like. I actually like it. It's heavy as can be. Is it 'Master Of Puppets'? Of course not, but it's a great record.
“Iron Maiden, for me, is living off their first three records. Have they made good songs since then? Yeah, but they haven't made great records.
“I like to think we're still making great records and as much as people come out wanting to hear 'Raining Blood' and 'Angel Of Death', they also want to hear 'Disciple' or even 'Implode'."
Although King admits record sales aren’t what they used to be due to the way people consume music, he believes that live shows are really the litmus test for how popular you are.
"My barometer is the live show where people show up," he explained. "That means people are into the music, whether the record is selling or not.
“They have it, they know it, and we can play it and have them sing it right back to us. That's pretty much how it shows me people are still into, regardless of sales."
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