In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked if he is happy the band's farewell tour, "End Of The Road", is finally over. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm happy it's over, because I'm not gonna be compared to them anymore… But I don't get this avatar thing that they're gonna do," he continued, referencing KISS's announcement that the bandmembers will carry on as digital versions of themselves. "I mean, I saw some of it on a video on YouTube last night. It kind of looked like it was geared towards children. And it's not rock and roll. I get up on stage without backing tracks, plug my amp into it, plug my guitar into a Marshall and go. That's it. It's always been that way and always will be."

Asked if he actually watched the last KISS show online, Ace said: "I watched [a YouTube video of the show in] Indianapolis [from the 'End Of The Road' tour], and I'm not impressed. But that's me. Tommy Thayer is not a bad guitarist. He just is more mechanical than me. Nobody can copy my solos the way I play them, because I'm sloppy and nobody can move like me. Nobody. And I'm surprised the fans bought Tommy pretty much, because I think for several years that Tommy was in the band, people didn't even know it wasn't me. I used to get phone calls from people and say, 'Hey, KISS is playing in town. Can you get me tickets?' I go, 'I'm not in the band anymore.' They go, 'You're not?' Because when I quit the band the second time, they did not make a big press release. They kind of buried it and just made the transition. But the last tour I did with KISS, Tommy Thayer was bringing me sandwiches and he was a tour manager and a gofer. But he's not a bad guitar player. I'm actually friends with Tommy — just all the guys in the band. I'm good friends with [KISS drummer] Eric Singer. Me and Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] are very close. When Gene put out his 'Vault Experience', I went on the road with him. I went to Australia with him. Before we made it really big, me and Gene used to room together. So Gene has a soft spot in his heart for me."

The technology being used for the KISS avatars, originally developed for ABBA's "Voyage" show in London, will allow KISS to stay "on the road" in retirement.

The KISS avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and were financed and produced by the Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage".

Unlike the "ABBA Voyage" show, which recreates a 1970s-era ABBA concert in a custom-built London arena, KISS's avatars that appeared at the band's final concert in New York earlier this month will not be as grounded in reality as ABBA's digital replicas. According to BBC News, the KISS avatars were eight feet tall, breathing fire and shooting electricity from their fingers, while floating above the audience.

No details have been announced yet for KISS's plan with the band's avatars. "We're going to figure it out after the tour," Pophouse CEO Per Sundin said prior to the final show at Madison Square Garden. "Is it a KISS concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure? These four individuals already have superpowers. We want to be as open as possible."

The avatars will now be available for live shows around the world and in digital online settings, which some people collectively refer to as the metaverse.

KISS will reportedly become the first American band to go fully virtual and stage its own avatar show.

Last month, Frehley told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour: "To be honest, I don't really believe they're ending their touring career. How many times have they said they were gonna retire? How many times have half a dozen groups said they were gonna retire and still come back?"

In October, Frehley told Mark Strigl of SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard that he doesn't hold a grudge against KISS, despite all the badmouthing that has gone on between him and some of the other original KISS members in recent years.

"I wish KISS the best, all the best on their final shows for the 'End Of The Road' tour," he said. "There's really no hard feelings. We say things sometimes in the heat of passion or sometimes our memory isn't… [we don't] recall things. But I love those guys. We're all getting old, our memory isn't what it used to be, so I just let it roll off my back."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but was extended to late 2023. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Ace Frehley photo credit: Jayme Thornton

Fan-filmed video of former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno performing a set of the band's classic songs on December 12 at Městský Společenský Dům in Kolin, Czech Republic can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Di'Anno was asked about the status of the much-anticipated documentary about the ex-IRON MAIDEN frontman which is being helmed by Wes Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 film "Lemmy" about the MOTÖRHEAD icon. He said: " I don't know much about it, really. All I do is I just turn up and do it. I'm a little bit upset because I was hoping I'd be on my feet by then. But it's not happened. So you get this sort of documentary but it's the highs and lows of being in a wheelchair and struggling. And since all this happened to me, I suffer from really severe PTSD. And it's not good. It changes your whole personality. Sometimes you're happy go lucky. Other times, I'm screaming, I wanna kill people. And it's not fucking good. And that's not me. I'm only a happy-go-lucky person until somebody pisses me off; then I'll beat you up. So yeah, it's been a bit difficult. But Wes Orshoski's done a fucking amazing job. He's still mixing it down at the moment, so that'll be out very soon. God help me. [Laughs]"

In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier last year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić.

WARHORSE previously recorded three songs, two of which — "Stop The War" and "The Doubt Within" — were released in May 2022 as a special DVD single along with Paul's video message to all fans who bought the single and thus helped raise funds for his recent knee operation.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and "Killers" in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

The WARHORSE single marked Di'Anno's first music release after a seven-year hiatus due to severe health issues.

Di'Anno, who finally underwent his knee surgery in September 2022, played the first show since the operation on October 1 at the Keep It True Rising II festival in Würzburg, Germany.

In December, Paul was joined by Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, for three concerts in Greece, where they played songs from MAIDEN's first two albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers".

In May 2022, Di'Anno came face to face with MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris for the first time in three decades before the band's concert in Croatia.

Harris, whose group kicked off the 2022 leg of its "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour at the 22,000-capacity Arena Zagreb, came out before the show to greet a wheelchair-bound Di'Anno and chat with him for a few minutes.

After his friendly meeting with Harris, Di'Anno stuck around long enough to watch some of MAIDEN's performance before leaving near the end of the set to avoid a huge traffic jam after the show.

Also in May 2022, Paul played his first full solo concert in seven years at the Bikers Beer Factory in Zagreb. The show was filmed and parts of it will be included in Orshoski's documentary.

The Deathless Legacy video for “Christian Woman” (directed by Frater Orion) by Type O Negative marks the 30th anniversary of Bloody Kisses and celebrates the memory of Peter Steele, one of the biggest influences of the band.


“Christian Woman” will be included in the special double CD reissue of Rituals Of Black Magic, to be released on January 12. Preorder/save here.


Rituals Of Black Magic is the fourth Deathless Legacy studio album, originally released by Scarlet Records in 2018.







Tracklisting:


“The Grimoire”
“Rituals Of Black Magic”
“Abyss”
“Vigor Mortis”
“Bloodbath”
“I Summon The Spirits”
“Homunculus”
“Ars Goetia”
“Hex”
“Read The Bones”
“Litch”
“Haruspex”
“Dominus Inferi”
“Christian Woman” (Type O Negative cover)
“Rituals Of Black Magic” (live)
“Dominus Inferi” (piano version)


“Christian Woman” video:

NONPOINT will celebrate the wrap of its 2023 sold-out "Million Watts" tour on Friday, December 15, followed by a second event on Saturday, December 16 — a performance of the band's major label debut album, "Statement". Both concerts will be livestreamed via The Machine Shop Digital Lounge, based out of Flint, Michigan. Audio for both nights will be mixed by the legendary Toby Wright, who is renowned for his innovative work with KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS, METALLICA and KISS, to name a few.

The streams will be one-time only events, as they happen live from the iconic Machine Shop in Flint. The shows will not be available for download or replay.

NONPOINT frontman Elias Soriano said: "While the success of this tour has been amazing, when the shows started selling out, so many fans were disappointed they couldn't get tickets. We wanted to do something about that."

The Machine Shop Digital Lounge app is available on Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, Android and iOS.

In order to keep ticket costs down, tickets will be sold directly to fans and can be purchased here.

Friday, December 15 will be the last night of the "Million Watts" tour. Saturday, December 16 will be a special performance of "Statement". NONPOINT's show begins at 9:25 p.m. both nights.

Wright said: "NONPOINT are one of the most exciting live bands out there and I feel honored to have the opportunity to capture their tremendous performances for the debut of The Machine Shop Digital Lounge."

This past July, NONPOINT released a new single, "A Million Watts", via the band's independent label 361 Degrees Records. The track, which was produced by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands, was the third single from NONPOINT's latest "Heartless" EP, which came out on November 17. The EP was made available digitally and as a limited-edition cassette along with a NONPOINT-branded cassette player.

More than two years ago, NONPOINT launched 361 Degrees Records and filmed the process, along with documenting the making of new music, in a docu-series titled "A Path To Independence" that can be seen on the band's YouTube and official web site.

In December 2021, NONPOINT released its previous EP, "Ruthless". This followed their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

Photo credit: Drew Johnston

ticket info at the Machine Shop Digital Lounge page and machineshopdigitallounge.com

Posted by The Machine Shop on Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Bay Area thrash legends, Death Angel, return to the stage for their 8th Annual X-Mas Shows with special guest Forbidden, and openers Frolic and Tornadic at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA on December 21 and 22.  


Tickets for the shows are sold out! However, those not able to attend in person, fear not. Both nights will be streamed live for fans around the world. Visit deathangel.us to get tickets and have your faces melted virtually.







Commenting on the X-Mas shows the band says: “Tis The season! The eighth annual “Another Death Angel Christmas” shows are coming up! And what once was a Bay Area Thrash Metal tradition is now something we want to make A World Wide Thrash Metal tradition! We will be making both shows available to view via a live stream from The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.


"December 21st, we will be joined by Forbidden and Frolic. And... December 22nd, we will be joined by Forbidden and Tornadic.


"All three bands will part of the live stream events! And there will be a virtual merchandise booth with exclusive Death Angel merchandise available to purchase. Also both shows will be available for continuous viewing through December 30th.


"So! Get your live stream tickets for this Thrash Metal Holiday tradition NOW!"


The Annual X-Mas Show wraps one of the busiest years for Death Angel, which was highlighted by non-stop shows in support of their critically acclaimed album Humanicide, including tours of Asia, Europe and North America with the likes of Kreator, Sepultura, Sacred Reich, Testament and Exodus to name a few.


(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)

In a new interview with People, Mötley Crüe bassist, Nikki Sixx, reveals he has a new music-themed animation project coming next year with The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff, as well as "new music with Mötley".


The following is an excerpt from the feature...


Nikki Sixx is embracing a new milestone - and a completely different environment - with his family as he turns 65.




While out at the Jackson Hole International Film Festival (JHIFF) over the weekend, the musician spoke exclusively with People about life in Wyoming and how "grateful" he is to be a part of the peaceful, outdoorsy community.


"It just really clears our head and allows us to reset," Sixx tells People of he and his wife Courtney Sixx, 38, who share daughter Ruby, 4. "We spend a lot of time outside. I mean, the whole point of being here is to really be outside whether you're into skiing or fishing or hiking or being up on the lakes or snowmobiling."


"And it's very social here, so it's fantastic for us," the Mötley Crüe bass player shares of the friendly, like-minded town. "I wake up and I'm like, 'I can't think of a place I'd rather be.' And to be able to still be creative at 65 and have a wonderful family and be surrounded by good friends. I'm very grateful."


Check out the full feature at People.com.


Get ready to kick off the New Year in true style at Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs with Mötley Crüe.


The multi-platinum band is set to headline “Crüe Year’s Eve,” an unforgettable one-night-only New Year's Eve concert of rock and revelry at Acrisure Arena to ring in 2024. Doors will open at 8:30 PM and the show will start at 10 PM with Mötley Crüe on stage through midnight to kick off the New Year with fans. “Crüe Years Eve” at Acrisure Arena stands as the sole date on the band's schedule, making it an exclusive and not-to-be-missed experience for fans to see Mötley Crüe live in concert.


Get tickets at ticketmaster.com, the official ticketing provider of Acrisure Arena.





Known for their high-energy performances and chart-topping hits including anthems like “Kickstart My Heart,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” Crüe Years Eve at Acrisure Arena marks a rare and exclusive opportunity for fans to witness Mötley Crüe live in action as they bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the new. The intimate atmosphere of Acrisure Arena, which celebrates its first anniversary this month, will provide the perfect setting for this momentous occasion.


John Page, senior vice president of Acrisure Arena, expressed excitement about hosting the iconic band on New Year’s Eve, stating, “We wanted to make 'Crüe Year’s Eve' at Acrisure Arena a unique celebration for fans. It's not just a concert; it's a special event to close out the year with the Mötley Crüe experience. The energy and showmanship they bring are unparalleled, and there’s no better way to ring in the New Year than with this legendary band. Acrisure Arena is honored to be the exclusive host for Mötley Crüe’s only scheduled performance and final show of 2023.”


In addition to the electrifying performance by Mötley Crüe, concertgoers can expect an immersive experience with special effects, pyrotechnics, and all the theatrical elements that have made Motley Crue concerts legendary.

In a new interview with Sense Music Media, OBITUARY frontman John Tardy spoke about why it sometimes takes him and his bandmates several years to release new music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's cool when you have the time to have some songs and mess with them for a while and put them off the shelf. It's great to get started, put some stuff together and then you don't listen to it for a month and a half or something. And then you come back to it and then stuff kind of comes to your mind fresh."

He continued: "When you have a lot of time, like we did during the pandemic, it really gave us time to let the songs kind of grow, feel them out and be able to add some cool stuff here and there to them. There's nothing worse than being rushed with a song. And even if it's a cool idea, get it down, write it, record it, because you listen to it and a year later, you're, like, 'Damn, I wish I would have done this. I wish I could have done that.' And the longer you let yourself let those songs grow and you can sit and mess with them, the less of that you have. You'll always get that no matter what, but the less of it that you do have, you give yourself that time."

Tardy added that he and his OBITUARY bandmates " always" take a few years between albums. "We've just never been the band to put out albums every year, every other year, other than I think 'Slowly [We Rot]' and 'Cause [Of Death]' were pretty close," he explained. "But other than that, we're okay to sit back. And now with the touring, we just find that it really takes us three or four years just to cover all parts of the globe and get everything done with that album. And people don't buy the albums that much anymore anyway, so you've really kind of gotta get your money out of 'em. [Laughs]"

OBITUARY's latest studio album, "Dying Of Everything", came out in January via Relapse Records.

Last year, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. The book was written by David E. Gehlke, author of "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost".

Earlier this year, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy told Kerrang! magazine that the extended hiatus he and his bandmates went on in 1997 was a positive experience.

"Hindsight is 20/20," he said. "At the time we didn't know if that break was going to be one year, two years, six years or whatever it was. But, looking back, it was fantastic for us to step away and recharge, to get away from the music industry and that scene at the age that we were. And we were gone for long enough that we were hungry again when we got back onstage. It's weird to look back at how long ago that was. Our 'second career' has lasted longer than a lot of bands' entire existences."

Original AC/DC singer Dave Evans says that he was not surprised to hear about Bon Scott's death after a night of heavy drinking. The coroner's report listed "acute alcohol poisoning" as Bon cause of death, the official finding "death by misadventure."

Dave recorded AC/DC's first two singles, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" and "Baby, Please Don't Go". But in October 1974, less than a year after AC/DC's first gig, Evans was out of the band. He was replaced by Scott, who sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums and became a legend himself after his death in 1980.

Evans discussed his time with AC/DC in a new interview with Brazil's Guarda Volume podcast. Speaking about the way his time with the band ended, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We were very young — we were all very, very young. And our ambitions were forever. I didn't go, 'Oh, I'm gonna be in a band.' No. I had my whole career, my whole life to sing. I've been singing since I can remember. It ain't gonna stop because of a band I was with, I split from. I was in bands before AC/DC, of course. I was with bands before AC/DC. I split. VELVET UNDERGROUND [not to be confused with Lou Reed's group] I was with, a top band. AC/DC, Okay, I kept going. RABBIT, my own career. I never thought about splitting or stopping to sing. It was just another band I was with, but a very successful band. We had a hit record, 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl' was named as the best Australian group record of the year. First up. Great. Fantastic. It was a hit record. And to have a young band, first record, against all the other bands in Australia, [named] the best Australian group record of the year. That was fantastic. But there were different reasons why I split from the band, mostly because I wasn't getting paid any money."

He continued: "The manager was the third manager at that time. We weren't getting paid for the shows, and we were doing the biggest shows in Australia. The Sydney Opera House, the famous Sydney Opera House, Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Festival Hall down in Melbourne, all the shows. Where's the money? Show me the money. No money. We toured with Lou Reed from the USA. [We played] the biggest venues, sold out — all sold out. How about some money? No money. So in the end, I couldn't stay with the band, because I was paying off my car in Sydney, paying my car off, my flat, and I'm working hard. So we had a bit of a meeting one night and had a few drinks and stuff. And the manager was there. And he was making money because he was getting money off the top. The rest of the money, I don't know what happened to it. We didn't have any. So, the manager, nice new permed hair, new jeans, bell bottom jeans, leather valise, flying around the country, us in trucks. He had the money. We had no money. So at, I said to him, 'What's happening here?' I confronted him. We were all bitching about it. And he got up and smart-mouthed to me. So I got up and bang, knocked him down. And the other boys got me and pulled me off the manager. So it was decided that when that tour we were on finished that this had to be resolved. This had to be resolved. I said, 'If I'm not getting paid, I am not gonna go on tour again.' So I said, 'I'm not going.' Who would? I'm not stupid. So at the end of the tour, no resolution. They weren't gonna give me what I wanted. So I split from the band. I said, 'Well, that's it.' I said, 'Okay. See you later.' I wasn't gonna take it."

Elaborating on his reasons for walking away from AC/DC, Evans said: "It's like any job. If you're a carpenter or you're a teacher or something, and they don't pay you, what are you gonna do? 'Oh, it's okay.' No. How are you gonna feed your children? No children for me, but if you had children, how would you feed your children? How would you pay your car off? You can't. And you're working hard. [AC/DC founders] Malcolm and Angus Young lived at home with their parents. They lived at home with their parents. They didn't have to pay any money. I did. I had my apartment in Sydney, so I had to pay. Otherwise I was gonna lose it. My car, they'd come and take it away. But Malcolm and Angus, [they had] no car. And they lived at home with their parents. So it didn't matter so much to them, but it mattered to me. And I wasn't gonna take it. So I stood up for myself."

Regarding the iconic singer who replaced him, Dave said: "Poor Bon Scott. Bon Scott joined the band and he went through a lot of crap too. And he ended up dead. He was working, working, working, working, working, working. And he was depressed, sad. He looked happy, 'cause he was drunk all the time. Bon Scott drank all the time. Alcoholic. You see photographs of Bon Scott, he's always got a bottle or a drink all the time. Sad. Sad. But it killed him in the end. But he was going through a lot of hell, too, with the band.

"I spoke to Bon Scott after he joined [AC/DC]," Evans revealed. "We had a private conversation about things, which will remain private. And so when I found out what happened to Bon Scott, when I read about it, and I spoke to his wife about it too — I saw his wife who told me what happened and stuff — I wasn't surprised. I was not surprised."

Evans previously talked about his exit from AC/DC in a 2021 interview with DJ Grant from New Zealand's Galaxy 107 FM. At the time, he said: "You've gotta remember that Bon Scott did a lot of the songs that I already did, like 'Baby, Please Don't Go', we already did that. That's the song that I got Angus up on my shoulders, and, of course, he used to watch us doing our show, so he copied that. I understand that he copied what I was doing. And the songs too, and re-recorded them and re-wrote the lyrics to some of the songs that I had already put down. But he was told to do that. I know that he was under instructions to do this, so I don't really hold it against Bon Scott for that, because when he joined the band, he was washed up at the time, and he got a great chance to do something, and he did too. He did a great job, but his lifestyle just let him down."

Evans also talked about the enduring popularity of "Can I Sit Next To You Girl", which was originally released as a single in July 1974 and featured drums by Colin Burgess and bass by George Young (older brother of AC/DC co-founders Malcolm and Angus Young).

"It's one of those songs, I play it around the world — I still do, of course, every show I do — and people love the song," he said. "And it's amazing how many people say to me that's their favorite AC/DC song. I can't believe it. [AC/DC has] 'T.N.T.' and all those great songs, 'Highway To Hell' and all these other great songs, and fans come up to me and say that that's their favorite song."

Earlier in 2021, Dave was asked in an interview with The Rocker Diaries if he thought "that would be it" for AC/DC after Bon's death in 1980. He responded: "No, not at all. I mean, we all keep going. And AC/DC has had that many players through [the history of] the band. I don't know how many. 20? And three singers, plus a stand-in singer as well.

"We were always ambitious when we first started," he continued. "We always wanted to be the best in the world — all of us. And after me, Bon Scott got his chance. He did great with the band. And when he died, I just thought, 'Who are they gonna get?' I never thought [I would be approached about it] myself, because that's water under the bridge. And I was busy with bands as well at the time, and doing my own music and recording. I was just wondering who it would be. I had heard of [Brian Johnson's pre-AC/DC band] GEORDIE — just the name GEORDIE. I'd never heard of Brian. And then Brian popped up and, of course, the 'Back In Black' album came out, which was a massive album around the world, and they were off and running with Brian. But if Brian quit, they'd get another singer, and another singer. [They've gone through] different bass players [and] different drummers.

"The drive was always Malcolm Young," Dave added. "I remember Malcolm when I first met him. He was such a driving force. Just a tiny little guy — just a little touch over five foot tall — but, boy, he had a big heart and a big personality. And he was tough, too — Malcolm was very tough. And no matter what, he was AC/DC through and through. And, of course, once he passed away, which is very sad, AC/DC, of course, will never, ever be the same without Malcolm. How can it be?"

In May 2021, Evans released a new compilation album called "BADASS Greatest Hits". The effort contains "20 massive hits on one album," including Dave's version of "Rockin' In The Parlour", the song that originally appeared as the B-side of the "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" single.

In an interview with The Coda Collection, Malcolm reflected on how Bon fit in with AC/DC when he first joined the band as the replacement for Evans. "Bon basically took charge, to be honest," the guitarist said. "He was older and he'd been around in another band. He was the man of experience. We'd written one or two songs, and he encouraged us to write more. He'd say, 'I've got an idea about that motherfucking wife I've left: 'She's Got Balls'.' We'd already written some tracks, but when he came in, we had the voice of experience. We kept our ears wide open. He pushed us a little further. The first singer [Dave Evans], people cheered when he left, so we could jam. He was so bad. Bon was in a week later. He had songs, ideas, motivation. He's serious. We were happy to be with someone like that. We were just happy to be playing. He had bigger plans."

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Gary Holt says that he has not heard any of the music from the new project led by SLAYER's founding guitarist Kerry King.

The EXODUS leader, who spent almost nine years touring with SLAYER, responded to a question about Kerry's new band during an interview with Full Metal Jackie's syndicated radio show. He said: "First, I'll say I've heard none of it. Not a note. I've heard it's really, really, really good. So, I can't wait to hear it."

He continued: "Kerry, the time I spent playing with him was remarkable. He's just one of the world's most crushing rhythm guitar players. People don't realize how punishing he is with his right-hand picking technique. And just playing with him, it was a joy; it was awesome. So I can't wait to see it.

"I saw that [Kerry and his new band have] announced shows. And then it becomes, like, 'Well, I'm busy. He's busy. I hope I'm around some time when he's playing where I can catch it.'

"I haven't seen a single SLAYER member since the last show," Holt revealed. "It's kind of crazy. We all scattered and haven't seen anybody. We text, but I haven't laid eyes since bro hugs and 'I'm out.'"

Gary also reflected on his time with SLAYER, calling it "remarkable. The farewell tour was really incredible," he said. "I really tried not to think about the finality of it all until it got to that last show.

"On the anniversary of the final show, I always post the same picture and it's the last band photo we ever did, and we look like we're on our way to our own funeral. For the first time ever, SLAYER looked visibly nervous, and it shows in the photo. We look scared to death."

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

More than three years ago, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph revealed that he is involved in Kerry's new project. Paul told Australia's Riff Crew that the new band will "sound like SLAYER without it being SLAYER — but not intentionally so. I mean, Kerry's been writing songs in SLAYER his entire career, and he has a style," he explained. "And that style, as a songwriter, you just don't change your style because your band is done… So, all I can say is if you like heavy music and you like SLAYER, you'll like this."

Kerry's new band, called simply KERRY KING, has announced two shows so far: May 9, 2024 at the Welcome To Rockville festival at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and May 16, 2024 at the Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

A year ago, Kerry said that he was angry over the prospect of SLAYER calling it quits when the subject was first broached. Asked in an interview with Metal Hammer magazine for his reaction when the conversation to end the band arose, the now-59-year-old guitarist said: "Anger… what else? It was premature. The reason I say 'premature' is because my heroes from my childhood are still playing! I can still play, I still want to play, but that livelihood got taken away from me.

"But, anyway, on to the next chapter, I guess," he continued. "We were on top of the world, and there's nothing wrong with going out on top of the world, it's a good way to go out. So, bravo for that. But do I miss playing? Yeah, absolutely."

In the same interview, King also hinted that SLAYER fans will be happy with the musical direction of his yet-to-be-announced new band. "If you know my work, you know what it’s going to sound like."

Back in October 2021, Holt told Metal Hammer that he agreed SLAYER retired too soon. "We were still playing at the top of our game, we were totally killing it," he said. "The band had a lot of years left in it, but I guess when it's time, it's time. When you decide to walk away from something, walk away. I can't tell anybody they made the wrong decision. Better to go out on top than go out unable to play your own songs, and this shit isn't easy. Playing 'Angel Of Death' at 70 years old would be fucking hard. But it was time for me to come back, let's put it that way. I was really missing my first family."

Two years after he revealed that he had more than two records' worth of music written for his new band, King stated about the new material's direction: "You know me, so you know what it's going to sound like. I played this new song for a buddy, and I said to him, 'If there's anything I've written in the last few years that sounds like SLAYER, it's this.' And he said, 'That sounds like you could have pulled it off of any SLAYER record.' I actually made that riff up backstage at a SLAYER show. We were walking to the stage and I got my phone out and recorded it so I wouldn't forget it."

King went on to say that he expects his new band to start out by playing "much smaller" venues than SLAYER did at the end of its four-decade run.

"Had it have been up to me then I'd have been out in 2020," he said. "But that thing called the pandemic fucked everything up for everyone. You know, I waited on that, because it had to run its course. I didn't want to be the guinea pig; I didn't want to learn how to tour again. I already did my dues; I don't want to have to prove myself again.

"Have I been dragging my feet? Yeah, because I wanted this [pandemic] shit to get sorted. I won't be dragging my feet much longer."

One day after SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour, Kerry's wife Ayesha King said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

Just a few days earlier, Kerry told Dean Guitars that he had plenty of musical ideas for his upcoming project. "I've been very, very lucky with riffs in 2020," he said. "Maybe because I can't go anywhere — I don't know — but riffs have certainly not been a problem. And looking forward into the future, what that means for me is I'm gonna be able to cherrypick the best stuff. And it's good stuff. I've got more than two records' worth of music, but to be able to go through that and cherrypick the best 11 or 12 [songs]… That first record should be smoking."

When SLAYER first announced that it was embarking on its final tour back in January 2018, Ayesha assured fans that they would "always get music" from her husband.

King has said in previous interviews that his post-SLAYER musical efforts would not be much different from the sound fans have grown accustomed to hearing from him.

"If someone quit, I'm not going to go around with a made-up SLAYER," he told AZCentral.com back in 2010. "But my next band would sound like SLAYER, that's all I know."

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

Image credit: STL Tones