In a recent interview on The SDR Show, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King revealed that he initially recorded the scratch vocals for the demo versions of every track on his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise.
“I just sound like an angry white punk kid… I think it sounds kind of adolescent[-like].” King went on to say that his vocals were recorded mostly as “first takes”. “Because I know how it goes — unless I stumble on enunciation or something. So, yeah, I knew how it went. I just put it on there so we had something existing. I knew I didn’t wanna sing because I can’t sing and play that much. The easy parts, yeah, but not like Zakk [Wylde] or James [Hetfield] does. They’re crazy vocalists that play crazy riffs underneath what they’re singing. I don’t know how they do it.”
When asked if he might consider releasing his scratch vocal tracks “as a separate bonus feature,” Kerry responded: “Um, I’m not against it. If you ask me, like, what if Glenn Tipton sang all the PRIEST songs. Would you wanna hear it? I’m, like, that’s a weird scenario, ’cause it’s f**king Rob Halford. but I’d be curious. It’s intriguing.”
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.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.