There probably isn't a heck of a lot of overlap between their fanbases, but that didn't stop Slayer guitarist Kerry King from showing up for Styx's Feb. 8 concert -- or hanging out with Tommy Shaw and James 'JY' Young backstage after the last encore.

It's tempting to see this as the rock equivalent of one of those nature photos that shows unlikely-seeming animals getting along -- like a gorilla helping groom a baby duck and a puppy. But all three of these guys have obviously paid their dues and earned the respect of their peers, and King is 48, which puts him right in the target demographic for the rock-loving teens of the '70s and '80s who turned tracks like 'Renegade' and 'Too Much Time on My Hands' into hits.

As King himself put it after saying hello to Shaw and Young, "GREAT to meet some fellow axe slingers from the rock n roll world!"

Styx is currently gearing up for the second year of its 'Midwest Rock 'n' Roll Express' tour, which will find the band traveling the country with REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent during April and May. Slayer, meanwhile, is promising a new album sometime this year.

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