KERRY KING MAKES IT OFFICIAL
5th February 2024The Los Angeles Forum, just before midnight on Saturday 30th November 2019.Ā SLAYERās KERRY KING stood center stage; his signature chains hung from his belt; he walked over to stage right, unhooked the chains and held them high, dropped them on to the floor, turned around and walked off the stage.Ā
āI knew early on that I wasnāt done, and I had no intention of not continuing to play.ā – KERRY KING
With enough new material for two full albums, all written by KING, if it hadnāt been for the COVID pandemic, his long-awaited solo project would likely have emerged in 2020.Ā For his debut album,Ā From Hell I Rise,Ā due out 17th May onĀ Reigning Phoenix Music, KING on guitar, enlisted drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer), bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), Phil Demmel (formerly of Machine Head) on guitar, and vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel).Ā Working with producer Josh Wilbur (Korn, Lamb of God, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion), the vast bulk of KINGās solo album was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles in about two weeks and was finished this past June.Ā
āI didnāt know what to think, you know, itās KERRY KING from SLAYER, who Iāve heard a million times,ā said Wilbur.Ā āHeās a very strong presence.Ā I wouldnāt say that KERRY has an ego, but he has confidence in himself, which is a good thing.Ā Thatās what you want in your rock stars and in your band.Ā He never comes off as a jerk or mean guy.Ā But he does know exactly what he wants.Ā He doesnāt beat around the bush. Heās like, āI donāt want to do that, but I want to do this.āĀ Very direct, but it comes from a place of confidence, and not from a place of anything else.Ā I really enjoyed working with KERRY.ā
According to KING, the new music consists of āvarious religiousĀ topics, some war entries, heavy stuff, punky stuff, doomy stuff, and spooky stuff, with Herculean speeds achieved.Ā If youāve ever liked any SLAYER throughout any part of our history,” he adds, “thereās something on this record that youāll get into, be it classic punk, fast punk, thrash,Ā or just plain heavy metal!ā
Also announced today isĀ the release of ‘Idle Hands,’ the debut track from KINGās upcoming solo project. Ā Itās fast, itās aggressive, it will smash you up against a brick wall and leave you breathless.
“All of us at RPM are very excited to be working with KERRY KING, and it’s an honor to be working his first solo album,” said RPM’s co-founder and President, Gerardo Martinez.Ā “The joy of working on SLAYER‘s last album,Ā Repentless, and to be reunited with my brother on his new musical journey doesn’t get any better!”
As KING admits, āEven with a record in the can, Iāve still got so many songs that need to be finished.Ā This is what I know how to doā¦number one being music, number two being metal.Ā Itās been a part of my life for 40 years, and Iām nowhere near being done.āĀ