Phil Demmel “Didn’t Know Anything” About Slayer Reunion: “It Caught Me Off Guard”
Former Vio-lence and current Kerry King guitarist Phil Demmel is just like all of us. When Slayer announced they were coming back for a handful of reunion shows, he was completely surprised that it was happening. Which is odd, since he was announced as the second guitarist for Kerry King’s solo project not a week or two before.
Demmel expressed his surprise during a new interview with Good Company (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
“Um, yeah, yeah… Yeah, it caught me off guard. I didn’t know anything about it. To have a Slayer gig announced before we’ve even played a show [with Kerry King’s solo band] was really weird to me.
“Slayer’s none of my business — the ‘why’s and the ‘when’s, it’s none of my business. I had questions when I first heard [Slayer was coming back], and they were answered. And I’m a hundred percent at peace and good with everything that’s happening.”
Though things were an initial whirlwind when it came to Slayer’s reunion and show announcements, things have sort of slowed down ever since. The word on the street and in various interviews is that Slayer’s only sticking to doing a few shows here and there, rather than committing to a full-scale tour. Though we’ve all definitely heard that particular song and dance before, so far we can only go on what they’ve told us.
Slayer’s reunited lineup is the same as the final lineup that played back in 2019: Tom Araya on vocals and bass, Kerry King and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt on guitar, and Paul Bostaph on drums. What makes that interesting is the fact that half of that lineup, King and Bostaph, are also involved in King’s solo project along with Demmel, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders, and Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda.
Slayer’s first show back will be at Riot Fest in Chicago on September 22.
Conversely, Kerry King’s solo project will hit the stage for the first time on May 9 at Welcome to Rockville. The solo project will also have its first album, From Hell I Rise coming out on May 17, but you can pre-order your copy today.
