Today (May 2), marks the two-year anniversary of a tremendously sad day in metal history. Legendary Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away in 2013 and ever since, we've passionately missed the California thrasher. Kerry King shares that sentiment, and during his recent trip to our studio, King paid tribute to his fellow Slayer co-founder.

Yesterday, we posted a video tribute from Exodus shredder Gary Holt, who has allowed Slayer to continue thanks to his immense talent. Holt's remembrance of Jeff is truly touching, and despite Kerry King's hard exterior, he also goes deep into how Hanneman was a metal brother and phenomenal songwriter.

Kerry King starts off by describing how he first approached Jeff Hanneman to begin what would become Slayer. The two were heavily influenced by iconic metal bands, so they decided to follow in their heroes' footsteps while forming a unique style of extreme music. Kerry also shares a priceless story about Hanneman shaving his head thanks to the influence of hardcore punk and how King reacted to his newly-groomed bandmate.

King also praises Hanneman's ability to think outside the box and combine rage and joy through performance. "He was very good at creating things that sounded like they hadn't existed before," King says.

Finally, Kerry King speaks about the moment he learned Jeff had passed away and how he chose to honor the guitarist's memory at the 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Awards; an event which polarized Slayer fans and brought King some serious heat.

Watch Kerry King's tribute to Jeff Hanneman in the video above!

Gary Holt Pays Tribute to Slayer's Jeff Hanneman

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