KERRY KING: 'I'm Nowhere Near Being Done'

The Los Angeles Forum, just before midnight on Saturday, November 30, 2019. SLAYER's 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 onto the stage floor, turned around and walked off the stage.

"I knew early on that I wasn't done, and I had no intention of not continuing to play," Kerry said.

With enough new material for two full albums, all written by King, if it hadn't been for the COVID pandemic, his long-awaited solo project would likely have emerged back in 2020. For his debut album, "From Hell I Rise", due out May 17 on Reigning Phoenix Music, King, on lead guitar, enlisted drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) on lead guitar, and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). Working with producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BAD RELIGION),the vast bulk of King's solo album was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles in about two weeks, and was finished this past June.

"After three days in the studio, Paul and I passed each other in the hall, and I said, 'You know what? This is f*cking fun!' We were just having a great time!" Kerry said.

"I didn't know what to think. You know, it's Kerry King from SLAYER who I've heard a million times," said Wilbur. "He's a very strong presence. I wouldn't say Kerry has an ego, but he has confidence in himself, which is a good thing. That's what you want in your rock stars and in your band. He never comes off as a jerk or mean guy. But he does know exactly what he wants. He doesn't beat around the bush. He's like, 'I don't want to do that, but I want to do this.' Very direct, but it comes from a place of confidence, and not from a place of anything else. I really enjoyed working with Kerry."

According to King, the new music consists of "various religious topics, some war entries, heavy stuff, punky stuff, doomy stuff, and spooky stuff, with Herculean speeds achieved. If you've ever liked any SLAYER throughout any part of our history," he adds, "there's something on this record that you'll get into, be it classic punk, fast punk, thrash, or just plain heavy metal!"

Also announced today is the release of "Idle Hands", the debut track from King's upcoming solo project. It's fast, it's aggressive, it will smash you up against a brick wall, leave you breathless…and wanting more.

"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 Reigning Phoenix Music co-founder and president Gerardo Martinez. "The joy of working on SLAYER's last album, 'Repentless', and to be reunited with my brother on his new musical journey doesn't get any better!"

As King admits, "Even with a record in the can, I've still got so many songs that need to be finished. This is what I know how to do… number one being music, number two being metal. It's been a part of my life for 40 years, and I'm nowhere near being done."

King is one of the most instantly recognizable and well-respected musicians in thrash/punk/metal, and over the past nearly 40 years, has pioneered some of the most brutal and revolutionary music ever created. King wrote or co-wrote some of SLAYER's most beloved songs, including "Mandatory Suicide", "Repentless", "Hell Awaits", "Disciple" and "Raining Blood". Known for his allegiance to the Raiders, his love of snakes, and his taste for Jägermeister, King is outspoken, opinionated and authentic to the core. Metal flows in King's veins, he knows how to write what he writes, and he has no interest in changing that. In perpetuity, Kerry King is a self-proclaimed "metal kid."

"From Hell I Rise" track listing:

01. Diablo
02. Where I Reign
03. Residue
04. Idle Hands
05. Trophies Of The Tyrant
06. Crucifixation
07. Tension
08. Everything I Hate About You
09. Toxic
10. Two Fists
11. Rage
12. Shrapnel
13. From Hell I Rise

Photo credit: Andrew Stuart