Slayer guitarist Gary Holt has not minced his words when it comes to Imagine Dragons, calling the US pop-rock outfit the “shittiest band on earth”.

Back in 2008, a humble group of Las Vegas musicians came together to form a new band. This new musical collective would soon be dubbed Imagine Dragons, and by 2012, the band had released their first album and scored their first chart-topping hit.

Since then, it’s been pretty hard to escape Imagine Dragons, with all four of their studio albums hitting #4 on the ARIA charts, and their singles being blasted out of almost every radio in the world.

However, with great success often comes great criticism, with many naysayer taking issue with the band’s status as pop icons, and the perception that all their songs sound exactly the same.

In fact, following the band’s halftime performance at Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship in the US, music website SPIN published an article asking, “Is Imagine Dragons the Worst Band Ever?”

However, it seems that SPIN aren’t alone in their assessment of the group, with Slayer and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt also holding a similar opinion.

Check out Slayer’s ‘South Of Heaven’:

As Loudwire reports, Gary Holt also found himself watching Imagine Dragons’ halftime performance and was so incensed that he took to Instagram to note that they “suck giant hairy monkey balls”.

In his since-deleted Instagram post, Holt made his feelings on the band incredibly clear. “Just watched the college football half time show to see just how bad it really was,” he explained. “PLEASE no more calling this shittiest band on earth ‘rock’, they are simply the crappiest excuse for a band I’ve ever heard.”

“Uggggh. Just awful. I don’t usually enjoy slagging musicians but they can’t really call themselves that. So fuck em!!”

While it’s not clear why Gary Holt deleted his Instagram post (maybe he thought his assessment was a little too harsh?), it doesn’t seem as though Imagine Dragons are too fussed, with their legions of fans still showing their love for the group.

In related news, Slayer’s Gary Holt recently took some time out of the band’s European tour in order to attend to some family matters. Thankfully, it seems as though he’s back in the fold now, with Slayer set to visit Australia one last time in March for the 2019 Download Festival. Check out all the details below.

Check out Imagine Dragons’ ‘Thunder’:

Slayer Australian Tour 2019

Supported by Anthrax

Thursday, 7th March

Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD

Tickets: Official Website

Wednesday, 13th March, SA

Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide

Tickets: Official Website

Also appearing at Download Festival 2019

Saturday, March 9th, 2019

Parramatta Park, Sydney, NSW

Monday, March 11th, 2019 (Long weekend)

Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, VIC