Published: March 16, 2026
After the loss of Slayer co-founder Jeff Hanneman in 2013, guitarist Kerry King spoke about the uncertain future of the band,a moment that would eventually lead to the creation of the album Repentless.
In May 2013, the world of metal suffered a devastating loss when Jeff Hanneman, co-founder and guitarist of Slayer, passed away at the age of 49. Hanneman had been one of the band’s primary songwriters and a key architect of the sound that helped define thrash metal.
Following his death, questions quickly emerged about the future of the band and whether Slayer would continue without one of its most influential members.
During an interview with Las Vegas Weekly at the time, guitarist Kerry King spoke candidly about the uncertainty the band was facing in the wake of Hanneman’s passing.
“We still have a lot of things to figure out,” King explained. “If we continue, we have to make records, merchandise, play concerts, and basically determine if everyone thinks it’s right for us to keep going.”
King admitted that although Hanneman had struggled with serious health issues for some time, the band never expected his death to happen so suddenly.
“Jeff had been very sick for a long time. Did anyone think he was going to die? Absolutely not. Even with the terrible prognosis, we didn’t imagine it would happen so fast. I was definitely in shock.”
At that moment, Slayer were already thinking about their next studio album. King revealed that he had begun writing new material and was preparing to carry much of the songwriting responsibility on his own.
“We plan to write songs the way we’ve always done it. Right now I’m working on about 13 or 14 ideas. Jeff and I were the main songwriters. I’m moving forward and trying to handle it on my own.”
Regarding the musical direction of the new material, King made it clear that fans should not expect a radical departure from the band’s identity.
“The new songs are simply an extension of what people love about Slayer. I’m not trying to fool anyone or pretend I’ve been trying to do something completely different all these years. But things definitely won’t be the same.”
King also addressed the possibility of using previously unreleased material written by Hanneman.
“Most of Jeff’s ideas were already used back in the 1980s. We have some songs left over from the last album that need work, but they’re not complete. They didn’t make it onto World Painted Blood for a reason. They’re good, but unfinished. I’ll work on them when the time is right. If people hear a Jeff song, I want them to say, ‘Wow, that’s incredible.’”
In the years that followed, Slayer continued working on the material that would eventually become their final studio album, Repentless, released in 2015.
The record marked a historic moment for the band. It was the first Slayer album recorded without Jeff Hanneman and also the first to feature guitarist Gary Holt, known for his work with Exodus, who had stepped in to perform live with the band after Hanneman’s illness.
Despite Hanneman’s absence from most of the writing process, one composition credited to him did make it onto the album. The track “Piano Wire” included musical ideas that Hanneman had been working on before his death, offering fans a final connection to the guitarist’s legacy.
Repentless would ultimately become the band’s final studio album, closing an era that began in the early 1980s when Hanneman and King first forged the aggressive sound that helped shape modern thrash metal.
The death of Jeff Hanneman marked one of the most emotional turning points in Slayer’s history. Yet the band’s decision to continue and release Repentless showed that the spirit of the music he helped create would endure.
More than a decade later, Hanneman’s riffs and songwriting remain deeply embedded in the DNA of Slayer and in the history of heavy metal itself.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
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