Slayer legend Kerry King is officially gearing up to record his sophomore solo album. The iconic guitarist is scheduled to hit the studio this April to track the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2024 debut, From Hell I Rise.
According to the Independent Artist Group, which recently signed both Slayer and the guitarist’s solo project for international representation outside the US and Canada, fans can expect a supporting tour to launch in early 2027.
The swift return to the studio shouldn’t be a huge surprise to fans. During a 2025 interview with Reigning Phoenix Music‘s “Reigning TV,” Kerry King confirmed that the band already had plenty of material ready to go and outlined his timeline for the project.
He said at the time: “Well, it’s vague because there’s planning, there’s a record company’s perspective, but we have enough material for the next one already. I just started writing lyrics on it. I sent ’em to [singer Mark Osegueda]. He got the first song the other day. So, as long as I can get off my ass and get some lyrics happening, I would love to record before New Year’s and then just give it to the record company and say, ‘Whenever you want, there it is.’ If it becomes January, February, that’s fine too, because I don’t think we’re gonna be doing any shows. But I wanna keep these guys working because you’ve gotta keep the train rolling… [Mark] likes the lyrics too.”
Frontman Mark Osegueda confidently agreed, adding: “I do. The lyrics to the new song are vicious.”
The solo band’s powerhouse lineup remains firmly intact, featuring Mark Osegueda (of Death Angel) on vocals, alongside guitarist Phil Demmel (of Machine Head and Vio-lence), bassist Kyle Sanders (of Hellyeah), and former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph.
Speaking with Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil in April 2025, the bandleader discussed the musical direction of the new material. When asked if he planned to lean heavier into his punk rock roots, he noted that the debut album already heavily showcased that aggressive style through tracks like “Everything I Hate About You” and “Two Fists“.
“I don’t know. I think punk was pretty well covered on [From Hell I Rise], from ‘Everything I Hate About You‘ to ‘Two Fists‘, two very different punk styles. So it wouldn’t surprise me if that shows up ’cause it’s part of my history. 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,” he sad at the time.
Kerry King also heavily praised producer Josh Wilbur—whose extensive credits include heavyweights like Korn, Lamb Of God, Avenged Sevenfold, and Bad Religion—and expressed a strong desire to bring him back for the upcoming sessions.
“A lot of musicians say he’s like the extra person in the band; he was like member number six. And he really was. His skill at the Pro Tools rig — he’s so fast. He would get on his computer, and I’m just sitting there with my guitar, trying to figure out how to play something better. And he’s just doing [something on] his computer, and he’s, like, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. ‘How’s this?’ I’m, like, ‘I don’t even know where you are.’ He’s so fast and so good, I don’t know what he did. He would have to show me, and I’m, like, ‘Yeah, it sounds great.’ But I could not follow what he was doing. His mind is going a million miles an hour, and he definitely became familiar with the songs before we recorded ’em. He came in with suggestions before the last week of rehearsals, and [I] shot most of them down, but we kept one or two. It’s, like, I’m open to ideas — usually I’ve thought of ’em, but he had a couple that I didn’t. I’m, like, ‘I like that. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.’ So, yeah, he was very hands-on, very cool guy. 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].”
Prior to gearing up for this next studio visit, the group successfully completed their first-ever headlining run in early 2025. The tour kicked off in San Francisco last January and wrapped up in Las Vegas, featuring heavy support from Municipal Waste and Alien Weaponry.
