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Slayer has always been known for their blistering speed, but guitarist Kerry King recently pinpointed which track he considers the fastest and toughest to play. In a fan Q&A featured in Metal Hammer, King highlighted a standout cut from their 1994 album Divine Intervention when asked to name the most challenging Slayer song to perform.
“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.
Clocking in at just two-and-a-half minutes, “Dittohead” is one of the shorter but most intense tracks on Divine Intervention, with King credited for both the lyrics and music. Despite its difficulty, Slayer performed the song 438 times, with the final live rendition taking place in December 2018 (according to Setlist.fm).
In the same Q&A, King also reflected on his favorite Slayer riff by his late bandmate Jeff Hanneman, naming the iconic “Raining Blood.”
“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,” King shared.
Hanneman – who passed away on May 2nd, 2013 – last performed with Slayer in April 2011, even though at the time a severe case of necrotizing fasciitis was already limiting his ability to play. Although he managed to take the stage for “Angel of Death” and “South of Heaven” at a Big 4 show in Indio, California, his final full performance, including “Raining Blood,” was on October 21, 2010 at the Gibson Amphitheatre, in California, during the Jagermeister Music Tour.
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