Kerry King Announces Debut Solo Album 'From Hell I Rise' With First Single Idle Hands

Photo: Andrew Stuart Photography

Kerry King has shared details of his debut solo album.

'From Hell I Rise' will arrive through Reigning Phoenix Music on May 17, and was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Josh Wilbur. The ex-Slayer guitarist and songwriter's new band, meanwhile, features former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, ex-Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, former Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders and Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda. Wilbur commented:

"I didn’t know what to think, you know, it’s Kerry King from Slayer, who I’ve heard a million times. 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."

As a preview, check out the blistering Idle Hands, which leans hard into the aggressive, thrashy sound you'd expect to hear from the co-founder of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme metal bands of the '80s.

It's one of 13 tracks on the record, which according to King features, "varied 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, there’s something on this record that you’ll get into, be it classic punk, fast punk, thrash, or just plain heavy metal!"

Armed with enough new material for two albums, King recorded most of the LP at Henson Studios in Los Angeles over two weeks, before completing it in June 2023. Written entirely by the 59-year-old, the project would've arrived in 2020 if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Even with a record in the can, I’ve still got so many songs that need to be finished," he explained. "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."

Kerry King is set to appear at Florida's Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio in May.

'From Hell I Rise' tracklist:

1. Diablo
2. Where I Reign
3. Residue
4. Idle Hands
5. Trophies Of The Tyrant
6. Crucifixation
7. Tension
8. Everything I Hate About You
9. Toxic
10. Two Fists
11. Rage
12. Shrapnel
13. From Hell I Rise

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