Kerry King Isn’t Down with Modern Iron Maiden: “Their Songs Have Gotten So Long”
With his debut solo album coming out this Friday, the media firestorm surrounding Slayer guitarist Kerry King has been constant. We’re almost reaching peak “what does Corey Taylor think” levels here, but what can we say — the dude knows how to spout out an interesting soundbite. Take, for instance, his latest commentary on Iron Maiden and their recent output.
While speaking with RIFFX, King was asked to weigh in on some of the more recent new releases that hit over the last couple months. One of those was Bruce Dickinson‘s solo album The Mandrake Project, which King admitted that he hadn’t listened to it just yet. You’d think that’s where his commentary on the matter would have stopped, but he had a little extra to say about the legendary heavy metal band that Dickinson fronts.
“Haven’t heard Bruce’s new album, but I have a friend who told me it’s better than [Iron] Maiden. Wouldn’t surprise me — nothing against Maiden, [but] their songs have gotten so long, man, I just can’t be bothered with it. And my attention span isn’t that much.”
As someone that didn’t really like 2021’s Senjutsu, I can totally understand where King’s coming from. I mean, I personally had a hard time staying awake while listening to parts of that album and I was behind the wheel when I put it on. Damn near killed me… But that’s neither here nor there.
King was also asked about Invincible Shield, Judas Priest‘s latest release and follow up to 2018’s Firepower. Unlike Maiden, he didn’t have anything negative to say about Rob Halford and the gang, even though he once again hasn’t listened to the whole record yet.
“I haven’t heard the entirety of [Judas] Priest’s new album, but I heard a handful of songs on satellite radio. Some are you know, typical. I heard one that stood out. ‘The Serpent and the King.’ That’s really cool; it sounds like a progression of what Priest [does]. I enjoyed that one. I haven’t heard the whole album, but I definitely will. Actually, I’m going to be playing with Priest in a couple of weeks.”
King’s album From Hell I Rise will be released this Friday. In addition to that coming up, the band will be touring in support of the record. You can find the full list of dates below.
Kerry King tour dates:
MAY
9 Welcome to Rockville Festival, Historic Crew Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL*
16 Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, Daytona Int’l Speedway, Columbus, OH*
* Kerry King Festival Dates
(Ashes of Leviathan Tour as Special Guest):
JULY
19 Texas Truce CU Theatre, Grand Prairie, TX
20 Germania Insurance Amphitheatre, Austin, TX
21 713 Music Hall, Houston, TX
23 Daly’s, Jacksonville, FL
24 Fairgrounds Amphitheater, Orlando, FL
25 Ameris Bank Amphitheater, Alpharetta, GA
27 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
30 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
31 Budweiser Gardens, London, ON Canada
AUGUST
1 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC Canada
3 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
4 SHNU, Manchester, NH
6 Main Savings Amphitheatre, Bangor, ME
8 Santander Arena, Reading, PA
9 Jacobs Pavilion, Cleveland, OH *
10 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill, Sterling Heights, MI
13 Bluestem Center For The Arts Amphitheater, Moorhead, MN
15 Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB Canada
16 South Okanagan Events Centre, Penticton, BC Canada
17 Accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, WA
18 Theater of the Clouds, Portland, OR (LoG itin. has venue as MODA Center)
21 The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
23 Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
24 Rio Rancho Events Center, Albuquerque, NM
25 El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, TX
27 Salt Air Amp, Salt Lake City, UT
29 Red Rocks, Denver, CO
31 The Astro Amphitheater, Omaha, N
