Slayer guitarist Kerry King is actively hyping the follow-up to his solo debut, confirming that his sophomore album is well underway and describing the new material as “a slam dunk.”
The legendary thrash guitarist discussed the upcoming project during a recent appearance on the “100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast, hosted by Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel. While keeping specific details under wraps, King confirmed he is once again working with producer Josh Wilbur and expressed immense confidence in the unreleased songs.
“I’m excited about it. There’s so many, so many fun things going around about this record in my camp. [Producer] Josh Wilbur‘s doing it again, and my publicist would knock me the f**k out if I gave up too much. But I think it’s a wonderful extension of the first album. I think everyone that’s been a fan of mine throughout history is gonna like it entirely. The intro, to me, is one of the best intros I ever made up, so I’m looking forward to hearing what people say about it once it comes out. It’s a slam dunk. It’s f**king crushing,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
King was scheduled to enter the studio in April 2026 to begin formal recording sessions for the yet-to-be-titled album, which serves as the direct follow-up to his May 2024 debut, From Hell I Rise (released via Reigning Phoenix Music). The guitarist wrote all the material for his debut album, which was recorded at Los Angeles’ Henson Recording Studios in 2023.
The solo band’s lineup remains firmly intact for the second record, featuring vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), guitarist Phil Demmel (Machine Head, Vio-lence), bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), and drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer).
According to his talent agency, Independent Artist Group, which recently signed both Slayer and King‘s solo band for international representation outside the U.S. and Canada, a new global tour supporting the sophomore album will launch in early 2027.
The solo band most recently performed on July 4, 2026, headlining the Miller Lite Oasis stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. King and his group stepped in as a replacement for Megadeth, who dropped off the festival in April due to an “unforeseen scheduling conflict.”
Prior to that, King completed his inaugural North American headlining run in early 2025 alongside special guests Municipal Waste and Alien Weaponry.
