SLAYER guitarist Kerry King has released the sixth installment of his interview series promoting his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise. Check it out below.
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.
When asked about the term “supergroup” in relation to his solo band, Osegueda stated: “I think [that term has] been overused, and for this band, I don’t feel it’s that. I think Kerry knew what he wanted on his record, and he knew what he wanted it to sound like, and he basically handpicked the people that he thought could do it.
“Sure, we all have pedigrees for being in other bands, but it’s just because we’re good at our craft and we take it seriously. And we also all get along really well, so that helps. And when you’re living on a bus for weeks or months at a time, you wanna be surrounded by people that you enjoy their company, but you also wanna respect how good they are at what they do. And there’s definitely a mutual respect between all of us for what we do. And we do get along well. So I don’t think ‘supergroup’ applies to this. I think it’s a group that just brings it.”
When discussing his involvement with Kerry‘s new band, Mark said: “I wanted the gig when I knew it was put out that Kerry was putting together a band. And when SLAYER said they were calling it quits, Kerry made it very well known right off the bat that he wasn’t done. And I sent him a random text one time, I cold texted him that ‘I know that you’re putting together a project. I just wanna let you know that I’m very interested in this. I’m throwing my hat, or hat-slash-throat, into the circle.'”
Regarding his vocal approach on From Hell I Rise, Mark said: “I came in with confidence. I have to say, I came in with confidence. And I had to. And I wanted to deliver original vocal performances, and let it be known that this record’s gonna be the best record it could be, vocally, for me. And I know people didn’t know what to expect, ’cause people started getting inklings of who else was in the band. And vocals were like a big, big secret kind of thing. And when I came in, I wanted to make him confident that he picked the right guy. He picked the right guy. And my approach to this was just aggressive and intense. And also I know live we’re gonna be doing probably some SLAYER songs.
“Is that daunting to me? It’s not. It’s not. Because I love the band so much. And I know people will be critical about it, but I’m also confident enough that I will do those songs justice. I will definitely do them justice, to say the least. So, I think when people see this, when they hear this whole album, it’s gonna have its own identity, for sure. And when we get out there live, the energy’s gonna be undeniable. And I’m confident that everyone in this band is gonna make it a live force to be reckoned with.”
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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