In a recent interview with Australia’s Heavy, Kerry King was asked whether performing with his solo band feels different compared to playing shows with SLAYER.
Kerry responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “There’s definitely a difference. It’s kind of got the feeling of when we started SLAYER, kind of, except I have a whole career in my wake. The excitement is every bit like when SLAYER came out — we’re all super excited to be playing together; me and Mark [Osegueda, singer of Kerry’s solo band] hang out every day off. So it’s just getting used to your new friends, really. The music’s business as usual. It’s a lot of fun. The turnouts have been great. The response has been great. So, we’re just digging it.”
Commenting on the fact that his solo performances often involve supporting other artists, a contrast to SLAYER‘s limited experience with this in recent decades, King said: “In a nutshell, it’s just coming in with a mindset that I’m not in charge, ’cause with SLAYER I’m always in charge. So I’ve been in charge for the last at least 25 years when we started headlining and just continued to headline. But I never had a big attitude anyway. So it’s, again, business as usual, but I don’t come in expecting everything to be, platinum, so to speak. If things aren’t exactly right, I’m, like, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. We’re here to play. And then once we do that, we’ll have some drinks and get the hell out.”
King released his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise, on May 17. In addition to King, the album features DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda, longtime SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph, former HELLYEAH bassist Kyle Sanders, and ex–MACHINE HEAD and ex-VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel.
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!”
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.”
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