Kerry King Doesn’t Understand Why Slayer Isn’t in the Rock Hall

While the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has made an effort to appease overlooked metal acts in recent years, Slayer remains a notable omission.

Despite a groundbreaking career, along with the respect of their metal peers, Slayer has never so much as earned a Rock Hall nomination, let alone induction. During a recent conversation Billboard Brasil, guitarist and cofounder Kerry King expressed exasperation regarding his band’s Hall case.

“We’ve never even been on the nomination list, so I don’t know what [the Hall of Fame is] waiting for,” King remarked. “How many more decades do we have to play? Forty years isn’t enough, I guess. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

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“To me, if it happens, it happens, ’cause, obviously, the voting process and the election process is a little faulty,” King continued. “So we’ll see. And me here badmouthing it probably isn’t helping my situation.”

How Long Has Slayer Been Eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Slayer has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2009. While King would love to see his group enshrined, he also isn’t losing sleep over their snub.

“Is it something that’s gonna make my career complete? Absolutely not,” the guitarist noted. “If my parents were alive, I would be stoked if we got in there so I can say, ‘Hey, mom, I’m in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.’ That would be cool.”

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“If we ever got nominated and the fans elected us to be in, it would be honorable,” King added, “just to say these kids from Los Angeles got together and ripped the world a new fucking asshole.”

After saying goodbye in 2019, Slayer reunited in 2024. The metal giants have a handful of concerts lined up for this summer, including performances at Louder Than Life and the Black Sabbath farewell concert event, Back to the Beginning.