In a new interview with Nick Bowcott of Sweetwater, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about how he chose the musicians for his eponymously named solo band. Joining the 60-year-old musician in the group are drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I wanted, first and foremost, it to be a friend of mine, in my age group. I don’t have anything against people like… I don’t even have an example, ’cause I don’t pay attention that much, but somebody my age getting in a band with somebody 25. I’ve got nothing against it; I just didn’t wanna do that. I wanted us to look like a cohesive group of people. And first and foremost, it was a friendship. No divas, no drama backstage. We get done playing, and if somebody messes up, we’ll all make fun of ’em. [Laughs] It’s a good environment, man. I’m having a fucking blast.”
Regarding what advice he would give to young musicians who would like to follow in his footsteps, Kerry said: “Well, after being decades in the same band, and it became work, it becomes a business. You’re not the same person you were when you were 20. People grow up, they grow different. Now that I’ve been able to do this, the importance of playing with your friends and being in a fun environment is more important than I gave it credit for. Of course, practice, get good people, but at the end of the day, get people you dig being around and who like the same music, because if you don’t like the same music, that’s gonna be a problem down the line. [Laughs] But, yeah, for me, my number one thing I talk about in interviews is I’ve got my friends [playing in my band]. And they all happen to be good. [Laughs]”
King‘s debut solo album, “From Hell I Rise”, came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the SLAYER guitarist. The LP was recorded in 2023 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with producer Josh Wilbur, who had previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.
Last month, Kerry told Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil about his plans for a sophomore solo album: “I made up two songs since I’ve been home from this U.S. run [in late February]. So we keep working on stuff. We haven’t played together yet, but we have stuff to work on when we get together.
“What the plan is, is whenever [the] cycle [for ‘From Hell I Rise’] is done, and right now that looks to me like October, Paul and I have always talked about going straight from playing live, taking maybe a week off and go right in the studio to keep your tour chops, so you’re firing on all cylinders — you don’t gotta practice to get good; you’re already good — and get in there and record it. So, ideally, in my perfect world, it would be done this year and then just hand it to the record company and say, ‘Put it in line, whenever you want it to come out.'”
Asked if he would like to “maybe explore some different influences, like going a little more into punk rock” on the next album, Kerry said: “I don’t know. I think punk was pretty well covered on [‘From Hell I Rise’], from ‘Everything I Hate About You’ to ‘Two Fists’, two very different punk styles. So it wouldn’t surprise me if that shows up ’cause it’s part of my history. And I think, overall, my thought would be just make an extension from what ‘From Hell I Rise’ is, just keep doing [things the same way], see what the next 10 or 12 [songs] sound like.”
King kicked off his first-ever headlining tour on January 15 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The trek, which featured MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, wrapped at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.
King authored all the lyrics on “From Hell I Rise”, mainly for logistical reasons. “I finished everything before Mark knew he had the gig,” he explained. “But that’s not to say he will or won’t write on record two.” Circumstances dictated that King sing on all “From Hell I Rise” demos. “I did scratch vocals on everything,” King said, adding, “I’m not a singer. I’m a guitar player. I’ve got conviction when I sing, but I have no range, and I need some distortion to help me out a little bit. There was always, ‘I got this if whatever we’re looking for doesn’t work.’ Luckily, we didn’t have to go that route.”
Last year, Kerry said that he knew people would compare “From Hell I Rise” to SLAYER. “I’m not afraid of that because I think it stands up to anything we’ve done in our history, musically, performance-wise,” he said. But he was quick to add: “There will be people complaining, ‘Why does it sound like SLAYER?’ And ‘why doesn’t it sound more like SLAYER? That’s just what people do.”
In early May 2024, the KERRY KING band performed its first live show at Reggies in Chicago. In the days following, the band went from playing an intimate venue to performing at the huge U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).
KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3, 2024 — King‘s 60th birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek combined headline shows in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but also festival appearances such as Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Download, Sweden Rock Festival and many more.
The SLAYER guitarist’s solo band played its first concert as the support act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19, 2024 at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. The six-week “Ashes Of Leviathan” tour wrapped on August 31, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Photo credit: Andrew Stuart
Source: blabbermouth.net
