Slayer’s final gig was on November 30, 2019, in the band’s Los Angeles hometown. But the night marked a new beginning for iconic Slayer songwriter/guitarist Kerry King. The band co-founder wasn’t nearly finished; he had much more brutal and provocative music brewing, stages to dominate, heads to roll. King’s sound and vision manifest in the 13 songs on From Hell I Rise, the first solo outing in King’s four decades of slaying the metal universe. His particular brand of blunt power, incisive lyrical themes, and aural assault are finally unleashed on May 17, 2024.

The arrival of one of the most anticipated albums of 2024--and one of the most eagerly awaited metal records ever—finds King beyond stoked. “It’s the best feeling I've ever had. There will be some faces punched in,” he says. The guitarist quickly addresses the most-asked question: “I think people are going to compare it 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.” That said, “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.”

Joining the King crusade is a lineup that began with Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph. “Paul's kind of like my [Vinny] Appice to Ronnie James Dio,” King says. “I knew Paul wanted to be part of this since 2018. My initial plan was to bring [Gary] Holt, but then I thought I probably shouldn’t have any more Slayer pieces, so that went Phil Demmel’s way.” The band is completed by bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), and in the much-talked-about vocalist spot, Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), a friend of King’s since the early ‘80s Cali thrash days. The lineup kills. From the instrumental entrée “Diablo” into the relentless, repentless “Where I Reign,” to the last cut, the statement-making, full-circle title track From Hell I Rise, King and co. are in full control. Music and lyrics are very intentional, with song topics including war, women’s rights, current American politics…and one-tune inspired by The Scorpions and Halloween-style riffs. (“That one, ‘Shrapnel,’ was something super-indulgent for me, and it came out really cool,” he says.)