Slayer guitarist Kerry King is the latest metal legend to pay tribute to Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho. In an interview with Metal Hammer (via MetalSucks), King said he thought Laiho was the next guitar hero even in the band's early stages.
“Are You Dead Yet? was probably my favorite album by them. Even back then I was like, ‘This is the next dude, this is the next guitar hero.’ He’s one of those effortless guys that you watch and you’re like, ‘Fuck! I’ve been working all day and I can’t do that shit?’”
King also recalls Children of Bodom opening up for Slayer, saying that they did pretty well! Which is a compliment, as Slayer fans can be pretty unforgiving when it comes to artists they don't feel are up to snuff.
“They went down OK; I’ve seen people go out there and just fail miserably. Their setlist was on the heavier side, which is a smart thing to do when you’re opening for us. I was up there almost every night watching them. They’re fun to watch play and Alexi was a guitar god.”
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, as well as Dragonforce's Herman Li and guitar legend Steve Vai, also had kind words to say about Laiho lately. Laiho was laid to rest late last month.
