Originally posted by superpete
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Slayer's Kerry King string tension confusion
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The opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent those of the poster and are to be considered suspect at best.
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Originally posted by dave74 View PostJeff brought the musical substance and Kerry brought the image and persona IMO.
Kerry was one helluva player and almost always on his game live until the mid 90's, then there was a marked decline IMO, probably just due to slightly reduced dedication.
Some players (myself included) have to practice very often in order to speed-pick for long without cramping. Age and/or carpel-tunnel can vastly affect this too.
Classic Slayer might not be rocket science or technical flash,,,,,,but I'd just love to hear some of the bashers due a valid War Ensemble cleanly at tempo, and then continue right into another ten songs,,,,,and no ballads in the middle for a break. It's not a just a normal set, it's a guitar sprintathon.
His guitars used to be all BC Rich USA, and they of course used 24 5/8" on many of those original models back in the 80s.
Low string tension and EMGs both promote a very soft playing touch, and that alone greatly reduces flop, thereby negating the need to raise the guitar's action.
When you use larger gauges and/or tighter tension there is the natural adaption of touching the string slightly harder in order to have the same attack sound.
I've never found that larger gauges and/or tighter tension allow for lower action, in fact the opposite ends up being true because you must compensate attack. (IMO)
Personally I prefer turbo slinky 9.5-46 for Eb on 25 and 25.5" scales. Never had a 24 5/8".
Slash uses 11-46 at Eb.
I've always assumed that Kerry only used the EMG gain-booster for leads. His riffing tone was usually quite dry and crunchy.
His Marshall heads were kt88 loaded from about the time he became friends with Zakk. Those lend a drier bark than the typical EL34's more saturated gain.
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I have no patience for Slayer-bashers that call themselves metal heads. Everything about that band is vital to everything that came after it.
At the risk of sounding political, it would be like if some Uber-patriot said, “I think the Founding Fathers are pretty overrated.”“I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt
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Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View PostI have no patience for Slayer-bashers that call themselves metal heads. Everything about that band is vital to everything that came after it.
At the risk of sounding political, it would be like if some Uber-patriot said, “I think the Founding Fathers are pretty overrated.”
Mike Patton said it best “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like Slayer” and if you don’t know who Mike Patton is, quit music altogether.The opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent those of the poster and are to be considered suspect at best.
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Originally posted by weepingminotaur View Post
I don't know that I'd go that far, but he was certainly not the core of Slayer. Hanneman wrote all their best tunes. Araya has even hinted that Hanneman helped King with songs on which King appeared as the sole songwriter.
But hey, that's JMO. I thought Repentless was mostly a ton of crap and an embarrassment to the legacy of Slayer. King's lack of songwriting prowess on full display.The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
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Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View PostI have no patience for Slayer-bashers that call themselves metal heads. Everything about that band is vital to everything that came after it.
At the risk of sounding political, it would be like if some Uber-patriot said, “I think the Founding Fathers are pretty overrated.”The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
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Just for the record: I LOVE Slayer. They are the cornerstone and root of multiple metal genres and my teenage faves together with Metallica and Megadeth. But being a flawless player doesn't equal great band or great music and playing in a great or innovative band doesn't mean that the band members are flawless masters of the instrument, nor is it required. Kerry King or Lars Ulrich proves my point. There is so much more to being a visionary innovator than being a great player. I did not mean it as bashing. There are thousands of 5 year old asians playing better than King or Hetfield or Mustaine. But they don't have the vision and creativity of those, so we won't hear about those great asian players in a few weeks from now, yet I'll alqays shriek with foaming mouth in a white eyed trance whenenver I hear Angel of Death or War Ensmble, even 30 years from now.
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Originally posted by Bogner View Post
So you have to buy in on Kerry King being able to play guitar in order to like Slayer? I Think the band is great for what it is. It was crucial in a movement of music and there is no doubting or questioning that. That fact that they peaked in 1987 and haven't written anything truly notable since Seasons in the Abyss isn't anybody's fault. It simply is what it is. Back in the days of their prime they were an immense force live. Heck, I have always enjoyed them live but that still doesn't mean Kerry King can play guitar. Jeff and Gary are a million miles ahead of him when it comes to talent.
I like a lot of Slayer's post-Seasons stuff, by the way. World Painted Blood was great, so was Christ Illusion. Everyone hates Diabolus In Musica but I will go to bat for that album every time. I think music fans tend to equate "music that was made after my formative years" with "bad music" automatically.
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Originally posted by nexion218 View PostJust for the record: I LOVE Slayer. They are the cornerstone and root of multiple metal genres and my teenage faves together with Metallica and Megadeth. But being a flawless player doesn't equal great band or great music and playing in a great or innovative band doesn't mean that the band members are flawless masters of the instrument, nor is it required. Kerry King or Lars Ulrich proves my point. There is so much more to being a visionary innovator than being a great player. I did not mean it as bashing. There are thousands of 5 year old asians playing better than King or Hetfield or Mustaine. But they don't have the vision and creativity of those, so we won't hear about those great asian players in a few weeks from now, yet I'll alqays shriek with foaming mouth in a white eyed trance whenenver I hear Angel of Death or War Ensmble, even 30 years from now.
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Originally posted by Bogner View Post
So you have to buy in on Kerry King being able to play guitar in order to like Slayer?
The last show I saw prior to shutdown was Slayer’s farewell tour. I’d never seen them prior to that, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with their late-2019 performance.
And really... I don’t think I’d want to hear anything but the whammy-wank fest leads in their songs. That’s as much a part of it as Tom’s vocals and that chunky JCM800 tone.
“I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt
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Hey, if whammy-bar leads are your thing, knock yourself out. They fit Slayer to a tee on Reign In Blood, but there's only so many times I can hear that same solo over different songs before I lose interest. You can definitely see King's lead playing improve from South of Heaven to Seasons. I believe he actually took lessons and put in some work at that time to improve his playing. Some of his solos on Seasons are excellent: fast, but they tell a musical story.
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I think a lot of folks would be surprised if they worked at their picking/playing speed/stamina how quickly it can improve. Its like anything else, use it or lose it and you can easily get yourself into "playing shape" in a reasonable amount of time. Every artist/player has to if they take any time off. On another note, Slayer is playing the type of music they play. it is their music. Fast playing is supposedly their thing right? Tight and fast should be their familiar place because it is what they do. I say all this to say if you played like Slayer or were in Slayer it shouldn't be an issue to play that tempo because that is most likely the most familiar thing to do for you as a player.
Anyway, I think Kerry King is a hack, I am a big fan of Slayer, I have all their albums and have seen them numerous times, I think after Seasons they dropped off. As fast and sloppy as they played, I enjoy a lot of their slower paced songs. Their energy and intensity was far more impressive than their speed (to me). Great live band, especially in their prime.The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
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Originally posted by Bogner View PostAnyway, I think Kerry King is a hack
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