In a new interview with Sara Parker of Philadelphia’s WMMR radio station, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, who just completed a North American headlining tour with his solo band, was asked if writing an autobiography is something that he would be interested in doing at some point. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I don’t think so. And I know people are gonna come knocking because I’ve been the voice of [my solo] band and the voice of SLAYER for the better part of 20, 30 years. Just as it went on, more interviews started coming my way. And I don’t pull any punches — I say it like it is in interviews, radio, magazines, whatever. So, other than real dirt, there’s nothing to write about. And I’m never gonna throw my band under the bus.”
Back in 2010, King told The Grand Rapids Press that he wasn’t interested in reading MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine‘s autobiography.
“I certainly don’t need to hear what kind of nonsense is in that book,” he said. “Dave‘s got a very skewed perspective.”
Asked whether he would consider writing a book about SLAYER, King said at the time: “I’ve forgotten more stories than I can remember, I’m sure… Between the four of us, we could piece things together, but we don’t have the drug overdoses and the therapists and all that.”
King kicked off his first-ever headlining tour on January 15 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. With MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, the tour wrapped at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.
Joining Kerry in his new band are singer Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL),guitarist Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and Bostaph.
King‘s solo debut, “From Hell I Rise”, came out last May via Reigning Phoenix Music.
All material for “From Hell I Rise” was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles in 2023 was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.
King authored all the lyrics, 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
