It's official: Guitarist Kerry King's solo album is called 'From Hell I Rise' and will be available starting May 17 through Reigning Phoenix Music.
This story began at the Los Angeles Forum, just before midnight on Saturday, November 30, 2019. Kerry King was center stage with Slayer , with its distinctive chains hanging from the belt. He walked to the right side, unhooked the chains, picked them up and then dropped them to the floor, turned around and left the stage. “I knew from the beginning that my story wasn't over and I had no intention of stopping playing,” says King.
For this debut album, King, who of course is on lead guitar, recruited drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer), bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), Phil Demmel (former Machine Head) on lead guitar and vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel). He worked on the album with producer Josh Wilbur (Korn, Lamb of God, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion) and most of it was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles in about two weeks and was ready last June.
The first single, 'Idle Hands' is available now.
“I didn't know what to think, you know, it's Kerry King from Slayer who I've heard a million times,” Wilbur said. “He has a very strong presence. I wouldn't say Kerry has an ego, but he has self-confidence, which is a good thing. That's what you want when you work with rock stars, it's good for the band. He never acts like a jerk or a bad guy. But he knows exactly what he wants. He doesn't mince words. He's the kind of musician who tells you: 'I don't want to do that, but I want to do this.' Very direct, but he comes from a place of trust, and not ego. “I really enjoyed working with Kerry.”
According to King, the new songs talk about “various religious themes, there's some war stuff, heavy stuff, punk stuff, doomy stuff and creepy stuff, with herculean speeds. If you've ever liked anything by Slayer anywhere in our history," he adds, "you'll find that there's something on this record that you'll like, whether it's classic punk, fast punk, thrash or just plain heavy. metal".
As King admits, “Even with a record ready, I still have a lot of songs to finish. This is what I know how to do… number one is music, number two is metal. “It’s been a part of my life for 40 years and I’m far from done.”
