Less than a year after unleashing his debut solo album From Hell I Rise, Slayer guitar icon Kerry King is already hard at work on its follow-up record. In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone Brasil, King revealed he’s written new material and outlined an ambitious plan to record the sophomore effort quickly, possibly before the end of 2025.
King confirmed he’s penned two new songs since completing his band’s first US headlining tour earlier this year. His strategy involves capitalizing on the band’s live momentum immediately after the current album cycle concludes, which he anticipates could be around October 2025. “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”, he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
“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 [Bostaph, drummer] 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,” King explained. “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.'”
Regarding the musical direction for the next album, King expects it to build directly upon the foundation laid by From Hell I Rise (released May 2024). He doesn’t rule out the punk influences heard on tracks like “Everything I Hate About You” and “Two Fists” reappearing.
“I think punk was pretty well covered on [From Hell I Rise]… So it wouldn’t surprise me if that shows up ’cause it’s part of my history,” King stated. “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 also praised From Hell I Rise producer Josh Wilbur (known for work with Lamb of God, Korn), expressing a strong desire to collaborate again if their schedules align. He lauded Wilbur‘s technical prowess and integral role in the recording process.
“A lot of musicians say he’s like the extra person in the band; he was like member number six,” King said of Wilbur. “His skill at the Pro Tools rig — he’s so fast… His mind is going a million miles an hour… I loved working with him and he loved working with us. So we’re hoping the windows line up to where we’re both free [to make the second album together].”
From Hell I Rise featured King handling all writing duties and was recorded in 2023. His formidable solo band includes vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly Machine Head), bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), and longtime Slayer bandmate Paul Bostaph on drums.
The band has been actively touring since debuting live in July 2024 supporting Lamb of God and Mastodon. They embarked on a European run starting on King‘s 60th birthday in June 2024, hitting major festivals and headline dates, followed by their first US headline tour from January to February 2025. With new songs already emerging, Kerry King is clearly focused on maintaining momentum and delivering more music from his solo venture sooner rather than later.
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