This Interview was translated from French to English.

"Q" means question. "A" means answer (Kerry in that case)

SLAYER is back and one time will again give more to their fans than they were expecting: a furious metal, corrosive and belligerent with obscur lyrics, supernatural and death. "Diabolus in musica", latin version of "The devil's music", is the title of the new devastating SLAYER album. No other one should be more appropriated. In other musical rituals, "In the name of God" lead singer-bassist Tom ARAYA screams furiously the holy sentence: "Antichrist is the name of God". "Bitter peace" inspired both guitarists Kerry KING and Jeff HANNEMAN to execute riffs so dark that the work of Stravinsky looks like as a compare to nursery rhyme. On "Scrum", drummer Paul BOSTAPH mutilates his instrument as quickly as if he was sending people to fire. So, be ready, he is back... and has of course the evil face.

Q: A few years ago, in an interview for MTV, you declared that SLAYER was fed up with writting about the devil. So, why did you come back to this subject as it's showed in the album title: "Diabolus in musica" ?

A: That was true for the moment of "Seasons in the abyss", because it was being systematicly in what we were commonly calling trash metal. All the new bands were dealing with that because they were thinking that it was the only way to make them become popular. For that moment, I was telling myself that I had done with that subject and that it was time to move to an other. I have always been the one who was writting the darkest lyrics. On "Divine intervention", I composed "Dittohead", with no doubt that was the most realistic song ever made in my repertory. It deals with politics, which is a subject that I rarely deal with. When I began with the new album, it came to me that it was missing to me, and I came back to diabolic subjects.

Q: A note addressed to the press indicates that the album title refers to the tritone which in music represents, as a musical theory, is an melodic interval or a harmony of three tones...

A: That is obviously a musical term. The composition often deals with heavy. It's a so "diabolic" and "risk" key, one of the few things that I remember from the few music lessons I took.

Q: Which is it's real signification in the SLAYER context?

A: We do not achieve to find something that was really satisfying us. During a long time, the title was to be "Violent by Design", but I found it a little all-purpose. Anyone could have produced it: a new or a ancient heavy group! Everyone can talk about violence. It's seems to be too generic; we needed another thing. The Japanese, it's the Japanese who made most of our songbooks, have written a small paragraph about the "The Antichrist" and the expression "Diabolus In Musica" appeared in this paragraph. Our manager faxed us the document and I was really fond of it. The sleeve totaly stick with. Visualy, the album was very interesting.

Q: "Diabolus in musica" is totaly heavy, from the beginning to the end. Have you ever felt the need to extend the SLAYER music to new musical horizons?

A: I think that it is the case. Simply, that didn't happen radicaly. The song, for example, as extend this time. The way Tom sings is now more "groovy". We feel more his personality.

Q: You mean that in this album, the song is more preponderant?

A: It is more important, and that differs from the other albums. The song has a real new sound.

Q: The Japanese version will contain 2 bonus tracks: "Unguarded instict" and "Wicked". Why aren't these songs included in the other editions.

A: It all began with "Divine Intervention". We discovered the joy of marketing. Frequently in Japan, the albums are in stores later than in the USA or in Europe. Even if it is one week, the market can be destroyed by imports. That's why we put bonus tracks on those albums. Those albums save the Japanese market.

Q: But, don't you think it's unfair for american or european fans?

A: The japanese imports are always available. If you go in good stores, you can find them. That's not easy but we can say that it's possible. And then, we may release a box with all our old albums and you can be sure that the bonus tracks will be included

Q: Do you think of banding all SLAYER albums?

A: I don't know exactly the shape it will have. For the moment we are talking about that with Sony. The two bonus tracks of this album should be featured in this, and the other ones from "Divine intervention" also (but I don't remember the names of those songs!)

Q: Do you know when Sony will release this box?

A: No. For the moment we are just talking about that.

Q: We have heard about the selling of your label, american recordings, but how did you get signed to Columbia?

A: American have been bought by Sony, if I remember well. And Sony has then decided to send us to Columbia. That wasn't our choice. Sony bought American, and now we do what they want!

Q: As a compare to "Seasons in the abyss" and "Divine intervention", "Diabolus in musica" owns a cleaner and more precise production. Why that arbitrary decision?

A: Rick Rubin produced us one more time. I don't think that he worked in the totality of "Seasons in the abyss". He was only an executive producer in my opinion. When he's more implicated, he is more interested, like this time. When he was working, he had a lot nuanced the tones and that's why we have got this sound.

Q: From the middle of the 80's to the beginning of the 90's, Rick has build up his reputation in working with heavy metal bands like Slayer, Trouble or Danzig. Later, he began to colaborate with "non metal" bands like the Smashing Pumpkins or Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others. Why have you called him an other time?

A: I think that he chooses the people with who he wants to work. When he has collaborated with Trouble or Danzig, those bands were very important. They merited that he spend time with them. Nowadays, how many metal bands merite that we spend time on them? Two or three, not more. I wasn't preoccupied by his implication in the production, because he knows us from "Reign in blood". He knows what we want and we know what he will bring us.

Q: In an interview given to "Hard force" last year, you declared that "South of heaven" was the last album that Rick really produced. But now that he has worked on the last album, how do you compare his production between "South of heaven" and "Diabolus in musica"?

A: "South of heaven"... that's really far! I don't clearly remember . I didn't really put a lot in that: I played my guitar parts and... fuck! I think that this time he has worked more on the drum sounds, even when we were not recording. For the guitars, we played and he came to inspect what we were doing. He has never intervene without a good reason. In any way there is a very good link between Jeff, our engineer, and me.

Q: Contrary to others albums, the bass is really put forward. Was it an other idea from Rick?

A: I only believe that it's the way that it naturally happened this time. Nobody thought that we had to put the bass forward. I don' t think that such decisions come to our mind. When I listen to this album, there are things that I want to change but this is the same impression for all albums. You have to set yourself a term to stop touching up, constantly.

Q: Paul gave a very complex work in that album, with lots of drum rythms, tempo and variations. Did the band asked him to work that hard?

A: He is a work addict. I thought that drumers were only doing rythm, to find some descent and... Paul does a lot more. He has a guitarist touch. He structures the song. For example for a chorus, he plays the same things than during the previous but in putting different new things. He thinks of drums as a stand alone instrument, and not only like the rythm skelleton of the song. That's the feeling that Paul gives me. He goes into creation. If he didn't do that, that would be Jeff and mine job. But at the drums, that wouldn't be so good...

Q: In an other interview with HARD FORCE, Tom annouced us that Paul wanted to put Latin rythm in SLAYER and when we listen to this album, I don't know where they are. Do you know why he changed his opinion?

A: I remember that we spoke of that when composing, but that never happened. I have always told him that he has gone with tribal rythm, I would try to write the music which would stick with, but that never happened.

Q: You declared that "Diabolus in musica" would be slow. Finally, it copes with slow rythms, medium or heavy. Why did you change this goal in writing?

A: That was maybe our vision at that time. After "Undisputed Attitude", we wanted to play slowly, because we were playing a lot of fast songs. So, at the beginning, we slowed the rythm, but finally, the speed is indissociable from SLAYER! She always points her nose.