In an upcoming BraveWords feature, Kerry King talks about the thought process of his upcoming debut solo album From Hell I Rise, out May 17, via Reigning Phoenix Music.

Josh Wilbur produced From Hell I Rise. He also mixed, mastered, and engineered the album. His resume includes Korn, Lamb Of God, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion, and Soulfly. Was there one album in particular Wilbur worked on that drew you to want him behind the board? “You know, I’m sure I heard some, just by listening to SiriusXM. But I had no idea what he had done when I met him. I got introduced to him through Gerrardo, who was my guy at Nuclear Blast, now my guy at Reigning Phoenix. I was always like, ‘I like working with Terry Date (who produced Repentless), let’s work with Terry Date.’ But as time went by, I thought, the fewer pieces I have of Slayer, it’ll work out in my best interest because that’s just going to be more ammunition for people saying, ‘It sounds like baby Slayer. It sounds like Slayer 2.0.’ So, that’s why I didn’t move forward with (guitarist) Gary Holt. People might think we had a falling out, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love Gary! Someday, maybe we’ll play again. But now, I’m focused on this band. Phil is my guitar player.”

Kerry and Gary will play again together on the Slayer reunion shows later this year at Riot Fest, Louder Than Life, and Aftershock. “Yeah, of course. But I mean, maybe creatively at some point, we could get together and do something. There will never be another Slayer album. There’s no reason for me to go down that road. I’m very happy with the record we’re about to put out. I’m stoked with the personnel. We hang out and everybody has a good time, it’s fun.”

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"

Find his live itinerary here.

(Photo - Jim Louvau)