SLAYER frontman Tom Araya has told Metal Hammer magazine that the death of the band's co-founding guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, has brought Araya and fellow remaining original member Kerry King closer together.

Hanneman, who passed away in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

"Losing Jeff has brought us together somewhat," Araya told Metal Hammer. "We've had to open up a line of communication."

He continued: "Kerry's very black and white. I'm not a black-and-white person, but that's Kerry. We've had to talk, and that's not been the case in the past."

Araya added: "I talked to Jeff a lot. I could pick up the phone and call him and we'd talk, but that's not been the norm with me and Kerry. But with everything that's been going on, we've had to open up a dialogue to make sure we can communicate our thoughts to each other without pissing each other off."