Kerry King’s tattoos are often discussed alongside Slayer, but Paul Booth is part of the story too. The tattoo artist has discussed creating King’s best-known design, Leaf Man, on the back of his head. Photos also show dark work on King’s arms and body, though not every mark is clear enough to identify.
The clearest accounts name the design, its placement and the artist. Smaller shapes in older concert photos are harder to read, so they should stay unnamed unless a reliable source identifies them.
The Leaf Man on the back of his head
Leaf Man sits on the back of King’s shaved head. Paul Booth has spoken about creating it, and the design is usually described as an unusual, organic figure rather than a band logo.
The placement makes it easy to see when King turns away from the camera or walks onstage. It’s one of the most recognizable tattoos in his collection.
The demonic skull and Paul Booth’s style
Other well-known tattoo stories connect King to Booth’s darker imagery, including demonic skull designs. Photographs show heavy shading and exaggerated faces among King’s tattoos.
The work fits the horror-influenced style associated with Booth, but that doesn’t mean every design is a Slayer emblem. The artist’s approach is part of what makes the pieces distinct.
Why King’s head tattoos became part of the image
King’s beard, sunglasses, leather and spikes are familiar parts of his stage look. Leaf Man adds a visible design on the back of his head, especially when he turns away from the audience.
Booth’s account gives the tattoo a story beyond its visible placement.
Slayer logos are not the whole story
King’s tattoos are often read through Slayer, but the designs aren’t all logos. Leaf Man and the demonic imagery also connect to Booth’s horror-influenced work and King’s taste for darker art.
Reading the visible details carefully
Older photos show other dark areas across King’s arms, but they don’t always give a clear view of each mark. Clothing, lighting and stage angles can hide parts of a design.
Leaf Man and the Booth connection are well documented. Other black shapes shouldn’t be given a specific name or meaning when the image doesn’t show enough.
The role of the tattoo artist
Booth matters because he has discussed the creation of Leaf Man and is linked to several of King’s best-known pieces. His work gives the tattoos a shared visual thread, though that doesn’t establish that every design was done by him.
Booth’s role helps identify how the piece was made; it doesn’t settle what each design means to King.
Why the designs still read so strongly
Leaf Man is visible from a distance because it sits on the back of King’s head. Close-up photos show more of the skull work and the dark shading around the larger designs.
A grounded inventory of Kerry King’s ink
The clearest inventory includes Leaf Man on the back of King’s head, demonic skull work associated with Booth, and other dark pieces visible across his arms and body. The names of smaller marks aren’t consistently documented, so those are best left unidentified.
The difference between a portrait and a logo
A Slayer logo would name the band. Leaf Man is a strange, organic figure, and the demonic skull imagery has a different focus. Those designs show a taste for dark, horror-influenced art as well as a connection to King’s music.
The two things can sit together: the tattoos fit the world he performs in without simply repeating the band’s branding.
Why Paul Booth’s name keeps coming up
Booth’s name comes up because he has discussed creating the designs, and his dark shading and distorted figures are visible in several of the tattoos King is known for.
What readers can identify in photographs
Close-ups show the head placement, the broad forms of the demonic designs and the shading around the larger pieces. Wider stage photos show how the tattoos appear with King’s clothing and guitar, but flatten the details.
Smaller marks remain difficult to name in some images.
The public life of a private choice
King’s head and arm tattoos appear in many performance photos, so the designs are part of his public image. Their visibility doesn’t reveal every reason he chose them.
Booth’s comments give some context for Leaf Man; the rest of the meaning belongs to King unless he chooses to explain it.
Watch Rock Ink on Kerry King
This Rock Ink segment offers a closer look at King’s tattoos and the designs discussed in the article.