In an interview on February 5, 2024, Kerry King talked about the composition of his solo band, KERRY KING. Joining the 59-year-old guitarist on the LP are DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda, longtime SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph, former HELLYEAH bassist Kyle Sanders, and ex-MACHINE HEAD and VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel.
When Kerry King was asked why he decided to name his band KERRY KING, the guitarist replied:
“I didn’t. It was going to be KING’S REIGN for a long time, which is really cool. But even with that one, I went to the guys, like, ‘I’m not a vain dude. I don’t want my name to be a part of it.’ We talked about BLOOD REIGN for a while, but it didn’t work. Every time I came up with anything remotely cool, it was taken by some obscure band in Eastern Europe. It became KERRY KING because I love that logo.”
On how he formed his solo band, Kerry said:
“I knew Paul was going to be with me. My original intent was to have [SLAYER guitarist] Gary Holt but the farther I got away from SLAYER, the more I thought people would call this band “SLAYER Light” or “Baby SLAYER.” They’re going to say that anyway, so I didn’t need to fuel that fire. There was no falling out between me and Gary.”
As for the addition of Mark Osegueda to the band, Kerry King said:
“With Mark, he was on board early on. I just didn’t pull that trigger. I was like, “Let’s see what happens.”
Kerry King also commented on whether PANTERA’s Philip Anselmo was being considered as a possible vocalist for his new project:
“Phil is a good friend of mine, but I’ve always thought he’s not the right guy. This has nothing to do with his ability. I just knew he wasn’t the right guy. When you hear Mark on this record, you know he’s the right guy.”
On the recording approach for his new album, King said:
“It was very similar to the way we worked in SLAYER. First and foremost, I wrote most of the last SLAYER record, so people know what I sound like, people know how I write. This one I did one hundred percent of, so if you’ve ever liked anything I’ve done in the past, there’s going to be something you’re going to like on this one, if not the whole thing. I love the whole thing.”
Kerry King’s new band, simply called KERRY KING, has announced two US shows so far: May 9, 2024, at the “Welcome To Rockville” festival at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and May 16, 2024, at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
”From Hell I Rise” contains 13 tracks recorded with LAMB OF GOD producer Josh Wilbur. Kerry King’s debut solo album “From Hell I Rise” will be released on May 17, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.
In the video below, you can listen to the first single from KERRY KING’s solo release “Idle Hands”.
Source: Rolling Stone
