Slayer guitarist Kerry King is featured in a new interview with Revolver, discussing his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, and his Slayer legacy, including the upcoming and unexpected reunion shows. Following is an excerpt.

King: "I had every intention of making another Slayer record, until Tom (Araya) was doing an interview with some publication, and they asked him about the next Slayer album. He said something like, 'I don't know, I gotta talk to Kerry before we start working on the next record.' And that's what he wanted to talk to me about: He had no intention of doing another record."

"And when I found that out, of course I'm hurt, first and foremost. Second, I'm like, 'I got a lot of work to do.' Third, I'm like, 'I've just gotta play my gig as best I can every night (on the final tour) and prepare to move on.' And fourth, I was like, 'OK, all these songs that I'd been writing for Slayer? Now they're just mine.'"

"There's something to be said for going out on top, and I'm happy to be a part of that. I feel like Peyton Manning — I won the Super Bowl and I quit. But was I done? Absolutely not. If I was, I wouldn't have this great record sitting in front of me. Would this have been the next Slayer record? Probably, though there's a couple of things on this that I might not have put on the next Slayer record. It's not like I ever felt like I had blinders on in Slayer, and I never felt pigeonholed in Slayer; but once you take the Slayer moniker away, my brain doesn't feel as restrained."

Read more here.

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:

King and his solo band performed their debut concert on Tuesday, May 7 at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois. The set featured 11 songs from King's upcoming solo album, as well as six Slayer tracks. Check out some fan-filmed video below.

Setlist:

"Where I Reign"
"Toxic"
"Rage"
"Repentless" (Slayer song)
"Two Fists"
"Residue"
"Hate Worldwide" (Slayer song)
"Idle Hands"
"Trophies of the Tyrant"
"Chemical Warfare" (Slayer song)
"Everything I Hate About You"
"Disciple" (Slayer song)
"Shrapnel"
"Crucifixation"
"Raining Blood" (Slayer song)
"Black Magic" (Slayer song)
"From Hell I Rise"

Kerry King's next concert is scheduled for tonight, Thursday, May 9, at Welcome To Rockville 2024 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Find his live itinerary here.

(Photo - Jim Louvau)