What Kerry King Thought of ‘Appetite for Destruction’ in the ’80s

Kerry King revealed what he thought of Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction when it came out during a new interview.

Slayer were already a big name in the heavy metal scene by the time Appetite came out as they had already released three albums, including their 1986 breakthrough Reign in Blood. Guns N’ Roses were part of a different scene, but their breakthrough was massive as well.

King discussed his upcoming solo album From Hell I Rise during a new episode of the Appetite for Distortion podcast, where he was asked what he thought of the 1987 album when it came out, and Slash as a guitar player.

“Well Appetite, when that came out, even then you knew immediately that was a classic rock record, a hard rock record that’s gonna be around until the end of time,” King praised. “And it has, it’s a great debut record.”

King then recalled speaking to Slash at Dimebag Darrell’s Rockwell Induction in 2007, and he thought it was his first time meeting the Guns N’ Roses legend — but it apparently wasn’t.

“I walked up to Slash and stuck out my hand, and he said, ‘Hey Kerry, how’ve you been?’ And I went, ‘Fine?’ Apparently we had met, and I was drunk and forgot about it,” King explained, adding that they’re always friendly when they run into each other at festivals and events.

READ MORE: How Kerry King Found Out Slayer Were Retiring

Funny enough, both guitarists unexpectedly reunited with their respected bands. Slash returned to Guns N’ Roses in 2016 after leaving in ’96, and Slayer announced a handful of 2024 reunion performances after calling it quits in late 2019.

Listen to the full episode below.

What Kerry King Thought of Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction’ When It Came Out

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