Kerry King

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Kerry King

Born	June 3, 1964
Genre(s)	Thrash metal
Affiliation(s)	Slayer
Notable guitars	B.C. Rich Kerry King Signature model
Years active	1982 - present

Kerry King (born June 3, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer.

Over the years, Kerry King's guitar style has remained the same, giving him a very distinctive sound. On earlier Slayer albums up to and including South of Heaven his playing focused more on speed and chaos than melody. However, in his post-Seasons In The Abyss work, Kerry has managed to capture more feel to his guitar work, showcasing more diverse and melodic styles. Aside from his strong rhythm work, he is also recognised for his distinctive and unique lead guitar work which critics disparage with definitions such as: 'grab the guitar neck and hang from the whammy bar as if your life depends on it'. However, despite such criticisms, it must be noted that King almost singlehandedly created an entirely new style of guitar soloing, and his influence is prevalent in countless metal bands, particularly thrash and death metal bands, where diatonicism is less important than in traditional rock and metal.

King's lyrics are mostly based on Satanic subjects, which he attributes to his love of horror movies. Though some fans regard him as being a Satanist, he regards these people as "dumb"^{[citation needed]}. He has stated he does not believe in God, so he does not believe in Satan, but he writes about Satanic subjects because he says it is more fun to sing about Satan than God. He actually dislikes all organized religion (Christianity and Satanism included) and describes it as a "crutch" for people (such as fellow bandmate Tom Araya) who are "too weak to get through life on their own" ^{[citation needed]}. He stated in the 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey that he feels religion is "the ultimate form of mind control that is perfectly legal." He also stated in the documentary that he believes religion is a "load of shit"^{[citation needed]}.

King also has had well-publicized disagreements with several of his contemporaries, including a long-standing feud with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth(who recently disregarded King's criticism, saying "Kerry's got problems; he hates everybody."^{[citation needed]}) as well as Robb Flynn of Machine Head.^{[citation needed]} Most of these disagreements develop from King's habit of speaking his mind and steadfastly refusing to apologize. Like most heavy metal musicians, King had long hair, but then shaved his head when he started balding. His bald head, spiked wristband, and extensive tattoo work (which covers his hands, arms and head) are his trademarks. Kerry is currently married to his third wife. He has a daughter, Shyanne, with one of his ex-wives. ^{[citation needed]}

King was a self-described "math nerd" in high school. He attributes his interest in metal to Venom and Motorhead, among other bands.

[edit] Guest appearances

In addition to appearing on Slayer's albums, he has also made several guest appearances as lead guitarist, including:

"No Sleep Till Brooklyn", from the Beastie Boys album Licensed to Ill He also had a guest appearance in the video for the song "Fight For Your Right To Party"
"Final Prayer", from the Hatebreed album Perseverance
"Dead Girl Superstar", from the Rob Zombie album The Sinister Urge
"Goddamn Electric", from the Pantera album Reinventing The Steel
"What We're All About (The Original Version)", by Sum 41 from the Spider-Man movie soundtrack
"Disorder", with rapper Ice-T from the 1992 album "Judgment Night"

[edit] Equipment

Marshall JCM-900 Amps
Marshall JMP-1 Preamps and Boss Mini-Eqs
D'Addario .009-.042 Strings
EMG Pick-ups
Fernandes Sustainer
TKL Cases
Rocktron Hush II Noise Reduction System
Shure Wireless System
Kahler Tremolo Systems
Monster Cable
In Tune Guitar Picks
Dunlop Rack Effects
BOSS RGE-10 Graphic Eq
Bogner Fist Preamp
Eventide H3000S Harmonizer
Marshall 4x12" speaker cabinets with Celestion 12" speakers
Dunlop Crybaby Wah-Wah Pedals
B.C. Rich signature KKV

[edit] Snakes

Kerry is a long time and noted herpetoculturist and snake breeder who is known to pop up at Southern California reptile events and pet shops with little notice. In 2005, he participated in an online chat discussion with both music and snake fans at the popular online reptile community kingsnake.com where he discussed both his involvement with Slayer and his interest in reptiles. ^[1]

Discography
Slayer
Tom Araya \| Jeff Hanneman \| Kerry King \| Dave Lombardo Tony Scaglione \| Paul Bostaph \| Jon Dette
Albums and extended plays: Show No Mercy \| Haunting the Chapel \| Hell Awaits \| Reign in Blood \| South of Heaven \| Seasons in the Abyss \| Divine Intervention \| Undisputed Attitude \| Diabolus in Musica \| God Hates Us All \| Eternal Pyre \| Christ Illusion
Live albums: Live Undead \| Decade of Aggression
Compilations: Soundtrack to the Apocalypse
Videos and DVDs
Live Intrusion \| War at the Warfield \| Still Reigning
Songs
Angel of Death \| Jesus Saves \| Raining Blood \| Behind the Crooked Cross \| Blood Red \| Dead Skin Mask \| Seasons in the Abyss \| Eyes of the Insane \| Jihad