Kerry King’s new solo album “From Hell I Rise” dropped this week, and Slayer fans should be very pleased. King explained the sound of the record to RIFFX: “I like AC/DC, because they sound like AC/DC. I think that’s why everybody likes AC/DC. For somebody to say, ‘Well, (your solo album) sounds a little like Slayer,’ I’m like, ‘The f*ck you think it’s gonna sound like?’ I’ve kind of given a prerequisite of what it’s going to sound like in my last 40 years. I think it would be odd if people didn’t compare it to my last band, because I had so much to do with the sound of that band, musically and lyrically. This solo band, what else would it sound like?”
He continued: “It’s what I want to play. If I ever had something I wanted to do other than Slayer, this would have been the time to do it. But obviously, I didn’t. You know, this is what I like. And this is why people like me, I think.”
King also said he tries to keep tabs on new releases from his peers in the metal world, but he has some catching up to do. Talking about Bruce Dickinson’s solo album, “The Mandrake Project,” King said: “Haven’t heard Bruce’s new album, but I have a friend who told me it’s better than Iron Maiden. Wouldn’t surprise me — nothing against Maiden, but their songs have gotten so long, man, I just can’t be bothered with it. And my attention span isn’t that much.”
King also said he hopes to hear the new Judas Priest album “Invincible Shield” in full soon, too. “I haven’t heard the entirety of Priest’s new album, but I heard a handful of songs on satellite radio. Some are you know, typical. I heard one that stood out. ‘The Serpent and the King.’ That’s really cool; it sounds like a progression of what Priest does. I enjoyed that one. I haven’t heard the whole album, but I definitely will. Actually, I’m going to be playing with Priest in a couple of weeks.”
King’s full interview can be viewed below.
