In a recent installment of the Talk Louder podcast, Phil Demmel offered some thoughts about his working relationship with Slayer's guitarist Kerry King, set against the backdrop of King's anticipated solo album.
Contrary to popular belief, King isn't merely a hardened figure but rather a person with a clear agenda and a direct communication style.
"If there's one thing that I know with Kerry is exactly where he stands and exactly what he's feeling. He has his agenda, of course, but there's no meandering around with the point he's gonna try to get to, and there's no steps being set up to…" he shared.
Demmel highlighted King's authenticity, dispelling notions of him being solely an abrasive or callous guy. Instead, he portrayed King as a sincere individual who doesn't mince words but operates with honesty and clarity.
"Kerry gets this stigma of being a fucking asshole or a fucking dick. And he's not. He's a nice dude." Demmel continued. "And he's an empathetic dude. He's a caring guy about stuff. It's not like he's this hardened dick and blah, blah, blah. There's just not a filter there where he just says, 'No, I don't like that, or 'I can't do this because' blah, blah, blah. And it's just straightforward, man. And I wish people would kind of understand that about other people. It's not him being a fucking… well, maybe it could be considered a dick, but that's not his intent. He's just, like, 'I'm not fucking around. I'm not gonna bullshit you.'"
Kerry King's new band features Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda, former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, former Vio-Lence and Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, and former Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders.
King will release the Josh Wilbur-produced album From Hell I Rise on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music, and you can pre-order it right here.
