SLAYER VS. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: THE SILLIEST METAL FEUD YET
Oh boy. Here we go again.
Kerry King loves to talk shit. He loves to talk shit so much you’d think he writes for MetalSucks (Kerry, if you’re reading this, please come write for MetalSucks.). The man just cannot be stopped. Dave Mustaine, Machine Head, Metallica – all have been victims of his razor-sharp tongue.
His latest casualty: Killswitch Engage, who are out on the road with Slayer right now as part of Mayhem.
In an interview with MusicaRadar.com, King was asked if it was true that he had the metalcore masters booted from a tour once. King’s response?
“We actually didn’t get able to. I tried. Because I’d never seen ‘em live, and then I saw them live at some, I don’t know, maybe at Kerrang! Awards over in Europe. And I’m just offended by the silliness that goes on on stage [on the part of] the guitar player [Adam Dutkiewicz]. He puts his foot in his mouth all the time and he says stupid shit, and I just didn’t think that side show should be on my stage. So I pulled the plug on the spot, but on that particular Jägermeister tour, we didn’t have any product and they did, so Jäger kind of insisted, and I went… They’re all friends of mine, so I said, ‘OK, I’ll deal with it.’ Still don’t like it.”
Now, I seem to recall an interview that took place during said Jager tour where King said that while he didn’t like The End of Heartache that much, he did really enjoy Alive or Just Breathing. Of course, I can’t find that interview anywhere right now (drop me a line if you have it!), but I suppose it’s a moot point; King’s problem seems to be entirely with KSE’s live show and not at all with their music.
Which, frankly, is bullshit – and I say that as a HUGE Slayer fan. This is exactly the kind of tr00ism that metal doesn’t need anymore, and that only dinosaurs hold dear to. Yes, Adam D. does get pretty “silly” on-stage, but guess what? That’s one of the best parts of KSE’s live show. Is King offended because the “stupid shit” Adam D. says on stage suggests that maybe he doesn’t the take the band’s lyrics and image too seriously (and I stress the word “maybe”)? If so, big friggin’ deal. Tom Araya has admitted that he doesn’t really think that God hates us all.
Bottom line: Adam D. is not some big, brooding metal dude, and he doesn’t pretend to be. He just tries to have fun. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love metal; it just means he doesn’t feel the need to be a grouchy prick all the time.
And what’s wrong with a little silliness anyway? What does “silly” even mean in this instance? The above photo shows King being silly at Zakk Wylde’s birthday party; should I burn all my Slayer albums ’cause King once deigned to wear a pink pimp hat? My father would say that growing your beard really long and having horns tattooed on your head is silly (actually, he’d use a much less polite word for it); what makes King any more of an authority on what’s silly than my dad, who is, if I may be so bold, a pretty silly dude (I mean, he raised me, so there’s some silliness for you right off the bat)? It’s all relative. King is really just making a big deal out of nothing, and ends up coming across as an old fart.
I’m sure someone will ask Adam D. or another member of Killswitch about this very soon, but I suspect that the members of that band are way too chill to engage (no pun intended) in too much nonsense and the answer will end up being along the lines of “We’re sorry Kerry feels that way” or whatever. In other words: I doubt there will be a round two of this particular feud.
-AR
[via Blabbermouth]
