Slayer’s Kerry King Slams Mayhem Fest Organizers
Earlier this month, Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival co-founder Kevin Lyman cited declining interest in the metal genre as the chief reason for disappointing turnouts at Mayhem Festival events this summer. “What happened was metal chased girls away because what happened was metal aged,” Lyman told Alan Sculley of the Detroit Free Press. “Metal got gray, bald and fat,” the promoter added. Those comments were not taken lightly by guitarist Kerry King of Slayer, the headliner of this year’s Mayhem Fest. When asked about the comments at a Rockstar Mayhem stop in Hartford Sunday night, King shot back at Lyman, calling the comment “just insane.” King explained that in past years there were multiple headliners for the Mayhem Festival. “I think they waited too long and think all the talent that could have been on this took gigs in Europe. Because there’s nobody here touring,” King said. “Whoever booked this made a gigantic error,” the thrash legend exclaimed.
When asked if Slayer was being asked to carry the show for this year’s Mayhem Fest, King agreed. “Let me put it to you this way: last year, Slayer, Suicidal [Tendencies] and Exodus played the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee and sold it out. Mayhem came through ten days ago and didn’t sell it out. That’s what I’m going up against here,” King elaborated. When King was asked if this would be Slayer’s last run on the Mayhem tour, the outspoken thrasher replied: “This might be the last time you see Mayhem.”
The 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival kicked off June 26th in Chula Vista, California, and will wrap up on August 2nd in Dallas, Texas.
