Slayer have been thrash masters for over 30 years. Having released 11 studio albums, the band discovered their sound right away and have been pummeling fans ever since, so it’s no surprise that guitarist Kerry King is promising “the same record we’ve been giving them [fans] for the last 20 years.”

In an interview with TheToneKing.com, King spoke about Slayer’s next album before playing one of their many Mayhem Festival gigs. King discussed what fans should expect from the upcoming full-length. “They can expect the same record we’ve been giving them for the last 20 years,” says King. “That’s basically what it is. It’s the AC/DC of thrash metal. You know what you’re gonna get. The unpredictableness is the predictable part of it. We keep the train on the tracks, but we experiment with anything we can think of on the way.” [via Blabbermouth]

In a recent interview will Billboard, Slayer frontman Tom Araya revealed what the next step will be in regard to recording. “I think after [Mayhem] we’ll just go back to the drawing board and take a look at what we’ve got and start putting it together,” says Araya. “These days we’re a bit more like, ‘Let’s see what comes out.’ We don’t chomp at the bit like we did in the early days. You just sort of have to let it happen and see what the end result is, and hopefully we’ll like it…Everything we’ve done as a band has been like that — ‘Wow, let’s do it.’ We know the outcome is going to be good.”

Araya also have an update on the current condition of guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who contracted necrotizing fasciitis after a presumed spider bite. “He can play, but it’s not for an extended period of time,” Araya tells fans. “Like anything else when you have some kind of not only muscle damage but nerve damage, it takes a bit for a lot of your functions to come back. They’re not going to come back and easy and quick.”

He continues, “On this [latest tour] more than others it’s dawned on me that he’s not there. The audiences have been very favorable, capacity crowds, really good. I just kind of look out and think, ‘Jeff, God, where are you? You worked 30 years for this. You should be here.’ He should be enjoying this part of his career. I can’t wait for him to (be back).”

Slayer are currently finishing up their batch of Mayhem Festival dates with Slipknot, Motorhead, Anthrax + many more.

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