Death Angel frontman Mark Osegueda, who was recently named as the singer for Slayer guitarist Kerry King's new solo project, is featured in a new interview with El Planeta del Rock, in which he discusses landing the gig in King's band, and the forthcoming debut album, From Hell I Rise. Watch below.

On how he landed the gig, Osegueda reveals, "It wasn't an overnight thing. It was a long process. Me and Kerry are friends, for sure, but that's not the reason I got the gig. By no means did I get the gig because we're friends; it was definitely a lot of hard work.

"He's an institution unto himself as his, as is Slayer, and when Slayer announced that they weren't gonna go any longer, he made it known to everyone that he was far from done. And when that was announced, it was quite a few years ago, it was probably during the pandemic that I just gave him a cold call out of the blue, or a cold text rather, just saying, 'Just so you know, I heard you're doing this, and I'm just throwing my name into the hat, into the ring, or throwing my throat into the ring rather.' And he was, like, 'Hmm.' He's a very to-the-point guy, and he said, 'Okay.' And I know he's very serious about everything he does musically.

"It was a lot of hard work, I'll tell you that. A lot of going back and forth. I did quite a bit of demoing with him, and nothing was a sure thing, ever. I know he had other people in mind for every for every position in the band. I think Paul was the shoo-in right off the bat, and then after that - Kerry knew his vision, he knew what he wanted, he knew what he heard in his head, and he wanted a lineup that could deliver it. And after a lot of hard work, one day me and him were out together, and it was plain and simple as that. But quite some time had gone by and a lot of work was put into it, and he just said, 'If you want the gig, it's yours.'"

Regarding the From Hell I Rise album, Mark adds: "We've already released the first single, which is 'Idle Hands'. The record's all done, it's wrapped up, recorded, mastered, everything. The release date is May 17 on Reigning Phoenix Music. It's a beast. It's a body of work that... from beginning to end, that album is something I'm very proud of, and I know everyone on the record, all of us in the band, are very proud of it. And I think when people hear it, they're gonna be blown away. Yeah, it's a beast."

The Los Angeles Forum, just before midnight on Saturday, November 30 November. 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 on to the 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 King

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, due out May 17 via 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). 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.

“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!”

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 and leave you breathless. Check it out below.

"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. "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.”

Listen to/save "Idle Hands" and pre-order/pre-save From Hell I Rise here. A visualizer for "Idle Hands" can be viewed below.

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"

"Idle Hands" visualizer:

(Photos - Andrew Stuart)