KERRY KING

"From Hell I Rise" (Reigning Phoenix Music America, LLC; 2024)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

I boarded the Slayer train late in the action but, when I did, I fell hard. When I first listened to Reign In Blood, I was totally blown away. From Hell I Rise is Kerry King's first solo record and, frankly, I had my doubts. What if his music is too different? I need not have worried. This music is Slayer-like and, yes, I mean thrash with a bit of heavy punk thrown in. Whatever you want to call it, it fucking rocks. I'd forgotten how much I have missed the ferocious, thundering and mad rush of this kind of music.

The dual guitars of Phil Demmel (formerly of Machine Head) and Kerry King take turns kicking the shit out of each song, much to the delight of this listener. The rest of the band deserves mentioning as well: Paul Bostaph (Slayer) on drums, Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) on vocals and Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah) on bass. By the sound of this recording, the band is at the top of its game and it sounds fucking awesome.

As near as I can figure, Slayer were just plain tired; they have been doing this since 1981. But I hear a new Slayer tour is coming up in 2024 so we will see. It is yet to be determined if Kerry King or original bassist/singer Tom Araya will be involved in the project; however, I cannot see a Slayer reunion tour going forward without either of those two personalities. I guess all we can do is enjoy this Kerry King release and maybe go back and enjoy the 35+ year catalog of true metal pioneers, Slayer.

Kerry King's From Hell I Rise is truly a metal masterpiece.

For more information, check out http://www.kerryking.com.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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