On Thursday (May 16), Kerry King joined Loudwire Nights to celebrate the release of his debut solo album, From Hell I Rise.
“There’s been so much hurry up and wait,” King told host Chuck Armstrong about the new album. “This record’s been done almost a year already, so [I’ve been] chomping at the bit for it to come out.”
Even though King has felt anxious leading up to the release of From Hell I Rise, he was quick to tell Chuck that the desire to release a solo album wasn’t something he wanted to do for very long.
In fact, he only began to consider it when Slayer called it quits.
“I had no intention of being done,” King said.
“When that was taken away from me, I just kind of thought, well of course I’m continuing. I think people are dwelling more on it being a solo record, I think of it as my next band.”
Kerry King Admits New Solo Album Sounds Like Slayer
As King reflected on the reason why he embarked on this new solo career, he admitted fans shouldn’t expect any major departure from what he was doing with Slayer.
“I mean, it sounds the same as Slayer, you know,” he admitted. “Some of these songs absolutely could be on a Slayer record, if there was one. I wrote 95 percent of the last album.”
King compared the connection between Slayer and his solo work with one of the biggest bands in the world.
“I like AC/DC because they’re AC/DC. I don’t want them to sound like anything else, you know? There are tons of bands like that and I think that’s what my fans like about me … I think I’m here to play this kind of music and I think that’s what my fans want.”
What Kerry King Did on New Album That He Wouldn’t Do With Slayer
With all of that being said, though, King did tell Chuck about at least one moment on From Hell I Rise where he felt like he could push the boundaries of what he ever did with Slayer.
“There is stuff on this record that I probably never would have presented on a Slayer record,” he said.
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“For instance, the song ‘Two Fists,’ the punk song. It’s my punk tribute song. I probably wouldn’t have done that on a Slayer album, I probably never would have done the line, ‘I think I need another drink.’ That’s not a Slayer lyric, but it works on this and it sounds great.”
Diving deeper into “Two Fists,” King said he tried to assume the position of an ’80s punk rock singer because that was the vibe he wanted the track to have.
“Everybody knows I’ve got a punk background.”
What Else Did Kerry King Discuss on Loudwire Nights?
- How he has enough material for a follow-up to From Hell I Rise and how he almost recorded two albums at the same time, like when Ozzy Osbourne recorded Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman: “I didn’t have the second stuff where I was happy with it. It’s good, because now I have more time to make it better and make it as cool as this record is.”
- What it was like for his bandmates to keep the secret of his new solo career
- How the artwork for From Hell I Rise came together
Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below
Kerry King joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday, May 16; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.