Kerry King recently opened up about the differences between his solo band and Slayer, and praised guitarist Phil Demmel, calling him “a wizard” who can “play circles” around him.
The past year marked a significant milestone for King, as it saw the launch of his solo career with the release of From Hell I Rise, his first album under his own name. His new band includes former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda on vocals, Hellyeah’s Kyle Sanders on bass, and Phil Demmel (formerly of Machine Head) on guitar. The project has generated considerable excitement, with some fans noting that the sound bears similarities to Slayer. King attributes those similarities to his own musical preferences and style, but during a recent interview on the Talk Louder podcast, he also highlighted some key distinctions between the two bands.
King explained:
“Imagine you’re a horse with blinders on—that was me in Slayer. Not completely blind, just focused straight ahead. In my solo band, the blinders are open about five to seven percent. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s a different perspective. Slayer was a massive machine, and both the fans and I had set expectations about what the songs should sound like. With this band, I just wanted to create an ’80s tribute punk song. Take ‘Two Fists,’ for example—those riffs were meant to sound like something from a punk band. There’s a huge riff in the middle that I had to throw in, because I couldn’t resist.”
When asked if starting his own band was “liberating” or more of a challenge, King shared:
“It felt similar to Slayer, where it was mostly me and Tom [Araya] making the decisions. So, it wasn’t completely unfamiliar. But this time, it’s different—if there’s a decision to be made, it’s on me. Of course, I still keep my guys involved in the process.”
Discussing his collaboration with Phil Demmel, King said:
“I probably would have given him more solos because Phil Demmel is amazing. He plays circles around me—he’s incredibly skilled and much more melodic. I’m much more archaic. But it works well together. At first, I thought about what fans would expect from me. I didn’t want to give them the impression that I was neglecting their expectations, or that I wasn’t putting my heart into it because I was doing something else.”
Finally, reflecting on the band’s name, King admitted:
“I didn’t want it to be called Kerry King initially. I never intended for that. But let me tell you, every great name is already taken. And once that name is attached to it, people are going to expect me to take the lead. So, I ended up doing about 18 leads and various sections, while Phil did 12 or 13. But I made sure he was involved too.”
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