Heavy Consequence caught up with Kerry King to discuss his new project, his stance on organized religion, what keeps him raging, and his expectations on taking the stage with Slayer again. An excerpt from the chat follows...

Heavy Consequence: Both in Slayer and in this project, you’ve never been afraid to criticize organized religion in your lyrics. What do you see in the real world that leads you to write songs on that topic?

Kerry King: "Well, I think it’s a farce. When I was in grade school, I couldn’t tell you what grade, but during the summer one year, my parents said, 'Hey, you want to go to Sunday school?' Because, I did all kinds of extracurricular stuff at school. So I’m like, 'Yeah, I’ll check it out.' I didn’t know what church was. And this isn’t what gave me my hatred for it, but it’s just a fun story. So I went to Sunday school, like a week into it, I went to my parents. I’m like, 'I don’t think I want to go to this anymore.' Even that little kid knew it was a bunch of dog shit.

"It’s like politics these days. What’s said in the press is gone within 48 hours. All the things Donald Trump did as president, I remember seeing on the news how many lies he’d made in four years, and like 36 hours later, it’s like it never happened. That’s basically how religion is. You hear about all these priests around the world getting convicted for sexual assault or inappropriate conduct with minors, and a day later it’s gone. But I remember that shit, and it’s been fueling my lyrics for the last probably 40 years. So, thank you religion for keeping me occupied."

Read more at Heavy Consequence.

King recently released his solo debut album, From Hell I Rise, via Reigning Phoenix Music. Stream / purchase From Hell I Rise here.

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"

"Toxic" video:

"Residue" video:

"Idle Hands" visualizer:

Find Kerry King's live itinerary here.