Most of Slayer’s music is incredibly fast, but Kerry King picked one song in particular that is their fastest and hardest to play. The guitarist also named which of his late bandmate Jeff Hanneman’s riffs is his favorite.
King was asked both questions during a fan Q+A that was featured in an issue of Metal Hammer. Concerning the most difficult Slayer song to play, he chose a track from their 1994 album Divine Intervention.
“I could go a number of ways with that, but I’ll say ‘Dittohead’ for the sheer speed of it. That’s probably our fastest song, and it’s not one I’m looking to play live any time soon,” King admitted.
“Dittohead” is one of the shorter songs on Divine Intervention, clocking in at just two-and-a-half minutes in length. King is credited as the sole writer of its lyrics and music. Setlist.fm notes that Slayer have played the track a total of 438 times, with the last performance of it being in December of 2018.
Slayer, ‘Dittohead’
As far as his favorite of Hanneman’s riffs, King went with “Raining Blood,” though he said it was a difficult choice to make.
READ MORE: Kerry King Explains How ‘Big 4’ Bands Changed Over Time + Which Stayed the ‘Most Thrash’
“It’s not just one riff in that song, but a whole showcase. If you pushed me, I’d say the intro too, as people still sing along to that guitar line,” he explained.
Hanneman played with Slayer for the last time on April 23, 2011. By that point, Gary Holt was already filling in for him because a dangerous case of necrotising fasciitis had spread through his arm, but he went onstage to perform “Angel of Death” and “South of Heaven” with his band during a Big 4 show in Indio, California.
The last time Hanneman played “Raining Blood,” though, was during his final full show with Slayer on Oct. 21, 2010 [via Setlist.fm]. The guitarist died in May of 2013.
Slayer, ‘Raining Blood’ (Live in 2010)
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