Pantera & Slayer Supergroup Falls Through: ‘He Was Dragging His Feet’

Kerry King recently claimed that all the “suits” tied to his solo band wanted Phil Anselmo of Pantera to front it. However, he noted how he didn’t think it would be a good solution as the material on his debut album “isn’t conducive to a good Anselmo performance.”

Kerry King talks about Phil Anselmo

Rumors of a Kerry King/Phil Anselmo collaboration go way before King made his debut with a new solo band featuring Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders, Vio-lence & former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, as well as King’s Slayer bandmate Paul Bostaph.

As Nikki Blakk of San Mateo’s 107.7 The Bone noted while recently interviewing the thrash metal icon, they go as far back as Slayer’s retirement tour.

However, King suggested that it was never really an option as far as he was concerned, even though the business people around him were very much for it, as it would mean drawing in arena-sized crowds. Asked why the rumors have been around for so long, King offered:

“Without knowing any of the interior stuff business-wise, it just makes sense. I’ve known Phil since before [Pantera’s breakthrough album] ‘Cowboys From Hell’. I don’t know a lot of people that have known him that long, and he was coming off of our opening spot on our tour.”

“You don’t have to think very hard to see how that could have happened. But you know, the record I made isn’t conducive to a good Anselmo performance.”

Explaining why he feels Anselmo wouldn’t have been the right choice, King went on:

“There’s too much fast stuff going on. He’s gotten slower over the years. All the Down stuff, super slow. He’s been in 1000 other bands too. But, you know, business wise, all the suits wanted it to happen. My manager, my record company, my booking agent, everyone, because, immediately, you’re doing arenas. And at the end of the day, the Pantera thing came up, and I just said, ‘Well, whatever. Go do that.'”

Last month, King revealed that some initial talks with Anselmo did happen, but he believed that the Pantera vocalist didn’t seem enthusiastic about participating in the project:

“We had conversations with Phil, but it never even got to a point where we played in a room together. He was dragging his feet for a long time because I don’t think he really wanted to do it.”