Kerry King shares more about his upcoming solo album

During an appearance on the latest episode of the “100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast, hosted by Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel, Slayer guitarist Kerry King discussed the follow-up to his solo debut, “From Hell I Rise,” which was released in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music, as per Blabbermouth.

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 fuck 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 fucking crushing.

On July 4, King and his solo band played their first live show in nine months at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. King headlined the Miller Lite Oasis stage, stepping in for Megadeth, who withdrew from the festival in April due to an “unforeseen scheduling conflict.” King was slated to enter the studio in April 2026 to begin recording his next album. A supporting tour will launch in early 2027, according to Independent Artist Group, which recently signed both Slayer and King’s solo project for representation outside the U.S. and Canada.

Being the youngest of three siblings, King was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. His dad worked as an inspector for aircraft parts, while his mom was employed by a phone company. He began playing the guitar atthirteen because his father encouraged him, mentioning that his dad wanted to help him avoid bad influences andfind a hobby. King went to three different high schools and achieved great academic success, even receiving a prizefor being the best math student in his junior high. As the youngest in his family, King describes his upbringing as “spoilt. ” He learned to play guitar on his father’s Gibson ES-175 and later got a Fender Stratocaster, which he swappedfor a BC Rich Mockingbird, starting a long love for BC Rich guitars. The first song he learned was “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent, and he quickly became a fan of Van Halen and Judas Priest, who significantly influenced his guitar skills.