In a brand new interview with Australia’s Heavy, Kerry King was requested if there’s a completely different vibe when he’s enjoying exhibits together with his solo band in comparison with when he’s performing with SLAYER. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There’s undoubtedly a distinction. It is sort of obtained the sensation of once we began SLAYER, sort of, besides I’ve an entire profession in my wake. The joy is each bit like when SLAYER got here out — we’re all tremendous excited to be enjoying collectively; me and Mark [Osegueda, singer of Kerry’s solo band] hang around daily off. So it is simply getting used to your new pals, actually. The music’s enterprise as traditional. It is a whole lot of enjoyable. The turnouts have been nice. The response has been nice. So, we’re simply digging it.”
Referencing the truth that his solo exhibits see him supporting different artists, which is one thing SLAYER hasn’t achieved a lot of in current many years, King mentioned: “In a nutshell, it is simply coming in with a mindset that I am not in cost, ‘trigger with SLAYER I am all the time in cost. So I have been in cost for the final at the very least 25 years once we began headlining and simply continued to headline. However I by no means had an enormous angle anyway. So it is, once more, enterprise as traditional, however I do not are available anticipating every thing to be, platinum, so to talk. If issues aren’t precisely proper, I am, like, it does not matter. It does not matter. We’re right here to play. After which as soon as we try this, we’ll have some drinks and get the hell out.”
Kerry‘s debut solo album, “From Hell I Rise”, got here out in Could by way of Reigning Phoenix Music. All materials for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist, who was accompanied through the recording periods by the remainder of his solo band, consisting of drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (previously of MACHINE HEAD) and Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL) on vocals. Helming the periods at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles final 12 months was producer Josh Wilbur, who has beforehand labored with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, amongst others.
Requested in a current interview with Brian Slagel, CEO of Steel Blade Information, for the just lately launched “100 Songs That Outline Heavy Steel” podcast, what the response from the followers has been like to date to “From Hell I Rise”, Kerry mentioned: “Killer, man. It feels to me prefer it’s been out two years, nevertheless it’s solely been out six months. So it is odd for me once we go play as a result of it appears to me prefer it’s been out for thus lengthy, however youngsters are nonetheless getting used to it. Each present, increasingly youngsters are singing it again at Mark and us, which is tremendous cool. It means they’re getting it and liking it.”
Relating to how a lot of “From Hell I Rise” was written through the pandemic, Kerry mentioned: “Quite a bit. I used to be enjoying on my own for a very long time earlier than me and Paul felt comfy sufficient to get collectively, journey. Me coming from the East Coast now, we nonetheless play in Southern Cal[ifornia]. So I’ve performed loads alone. SLAYER‘s final tour was the top of November of ’19, so by the top of the Tremendous Bowl in 2020, I used to be full pressure engaged on new materials, new concepts. And I did that for fairly some time. I do not assume Paul and I obtained collectively till 2021 to begin engaged on these things. However at that time there was leftover stuff from [SLAYER‘s final album] ‘Repentless’. Now there’s leftover stuff from ‘From Hell I Rise’ for the subsequent file and plus all I’ve written since then. However yeah, throughout COVID, Paul and I each got here down with it and I feel it was June of ’21 and I used to be caught in California on the resort I keep in for rehearsals as a result of I actually wasn’t gonna fly house and provides it to my spouse. However happily, mine lasted like three days. It was, like, it jumped in my physique, obtained scared and jumped the fuck out. Paul had it on and off for the higher a part of a month. So it took us some time to get again to it. However that being mentioned, I keep in mind once I was in that resort room caught for a number of days, I completed the final two lyrical songs I wanted after which we had been good to go.”
SLAYER performed two reunion exhibits earlier this fall — on September 22 on the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois and on October 10 on the Aftershock competition in Sacramento, California.
At Riot Fest and Aftershock, SLAYER ran by way of a 20-song set that included opener “South Of Heaven”, “Seasons In The Abyss”, “Angel Of Loss of life”, “Hell Awaits”, “Raining Blood” and the title monitor of SLAYER‘s ultimate album, “Repentless”.
SLAYER was additionally scheduled to play on the Louder Than Life competition in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, however that efficiency was canceled attributable to extreme climate.
The lineup for SLAYER‘s comeback was the identical because the one which final toured in 2019: King and Bostaph, together with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and guitarist Gary Holt.
