Five years on from Slayer's "farewell tour", the band recently announced that they would reform for three shows this year. The band are scheduled for Chicago's Riot Fest (September 20-22), Louisville's Louder Than Life (September 27), and Sacramento's Aftershock (October 10).

During an interview with Classic Rock, Anthrax guitarist, Scott Ian, was asked if he was as astonished as everyone else when Slayer recently came out of retirement?

Says Scott: "I wrote to Kerry [King, guitarist] and said: 'Thanks for making me look like a liar.' We were on Slayer’s goodbye tour for over a hundred shows. During that year and a half together I got the sense that if they said were ending, then that’s what was happening. Personally I felt it was too soon – the world needs Slayer – but I took them at their word on that. I really felt that they would be the one band that when they said they were retiring, they’d be done for good."

How did Kerry respond to Scott's email? "He wrote back saying: 'Hahaha. Hey, it’s just three shows.' I replied: 'Yeah, we’ll see.'”

Read more at Classic Rock.

Kerry King will release his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, on May 17 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

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 in 2020. For his debut album, From Hell I Rise, 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). 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 last June.

“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 that 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!”

From Hell I Rise tracklisting:

"Diablo"
"Where I Reign"
"Residue"
"Idle Hands"
"Trophies Of The Tyrant"
"Crucifixation"
"Tension"
"Everything I Hate About You"
"Toxic"
"Two Fists"
"Rage"
"Shrapnel"
"From Hell I Rise"

"Residue" video:

"Idle Hands" visualizer: