In a new chat with Guitar World, Kerry King explained that Tom Araya hadn’t played bass on Slayer albums since the ’90s because he didn’t prepare for recording sessions.
The guitarist revealed that his solo debut album, ‘From Hell I Rise,’ is the first record since the ’90s where he hasn’t played bass. He’s done all the rhythm guitars and bass on Slayer records since the early ’90s because Araya struggled to keep up. King disclosed why:
“We would always let Tom play bass until he got tired of not being good at it. In Tom’s defense, up to that point, he had never played the songs. It was always just me and Paul going through ’em. And then we get in the studio, it’s time to record. I think Tom’s got it in his head that he’s gonna be able to pull it off. But for anybody that’s never played a song before, to come in without knowing the music and get it up to recording level is not realistic.”
Araya Sometimes Struggled With Bass Parts
Kerry continued:
“So, if I’ve already done my guitar tracks, Jeff’s done his guitar tracks, and Tom doesn’t know the bass parts, I can pick up a bass and get it done in less than a day ’cause I already know the songs. It got to where he’d mess around and play one song for eight hours before he got frustrated and just said, ‘Here, you do it!’ I don’t want anybody to think for a second that he couldn’t do it if he had the time to learn it.”
What Did King Previously Say About Araya’s Bass Contribution?
In an earlier interview with Rolling Stone, the guitarist again discussed how he played bass on Slayer albums since the ’90s. When asked if he would handle all guitars and bass on his solo projects, King responded:
“I have done that. Not on this, but since the early Nineties I’ve done all the rhythm guitars and all the bass [on Slayer records]. I’ve always done bass because my guy [Tom Araya] really didn’t.”
During the Rolling Stone interview, he praised his solo band’s bassist Kyle Sanders, noting how quickly Sanders added bass to early demos. He brought creative ideas to the solo album that he wouldn’t have considered himself.