ALBUM REVIEW: From Hell I Rise – Kerry King
Five years ago the world bid farewell to the almighty SLAYER who bowed out in a blaze of glory on 30 November 2019. After a staggering 38 years sitting at the apex of thrash, the legacy was cemented and the band were free to do as they pleased, yet the demise came too early for one KERRY KING (guitar). Feeling he has a lot more left in the axe-wielding tank, King resurrects himself with the release of debut solo album From Hell I Rise.
While the album flies under the KERRY KING banner, it would be remiss of us to glaze over this band’s line-up. Recruiting SLAYER bandmate Paul Bostaph (drums), HELLYEAH’s Kyle Sanders (bass), ex-MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel, and handing vocal duties to Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL), King has certainly set himself a high bar. Yet with reports of King being unfazed by comparisons between From Hell I Rise and SLAYER’s material, has the guitarist merely formed a tribute to days gone by?
Instrumental opener Diablo is very much a SLAYER track and is unashamedly so. Thick, heady guitars lead the charge with a crisp chug. Bostaph’s drums then seamlessly take the reins and steer the track through each movement. It’s a wonderful exercise in the world-building an instrumental introduction should provide. Sat upon the throne of the damned, Diablo will enjoy the resurrection. Getting into the thick of things, Where I Reign fully leans into SLAYER’s mix of thrash and punk. It’s brash, and Osegueda’s delivery of “let fire set you free” is steeped in hardcore. This ode to the notion of being comfortable at rock bottom is nothing new by any stretch of the imagination but it scratches certain itches. With the introduction of a slightly disjointed guitar solo, there are hints this will be very much a guitar-driven album.
From here the album turns to the first of two tracks King wrote in the period Roe vs. Wade was overturned. Residue’s drums mirror the unrest. Drawn out guitars stick like the title’s namesake. What comes next is a slower yet still aggressive assault on the powers that be and their “bloodstained campaign”. The call to arms speeds towards the bridge as a solo sails from its platform. While the musicianship on display is something to behold, the power of this track sits behind its final line: “I define where liberty goes to die”. We’re not given long to bask in that however as whiffs of South Of Heaven (1988) plague the reveries of the mind with Idle Hands. “Hatred is my ammunition” boasts Osegueda in convincing fashion. However, while the change in pitches and deliveries do distract for a moment, we notice the tracks beginning to settle in the same sort of rhythm pattern. Thrash metal tends to do this – speed is key after all – but the seeds of doubt have now been planted. The wheels of the solo begin to wobble while the track itself outstays its welcome. The same fate befalls Crucifixation but let’s not jump the gun.
What makes a good song is a solid foundation. Trophies Of The Tyrant has this in abundance with a tight rhythm section serving as a base for this revolt against the oppressor. This protest against “aggression and discrimination” becomes a mirror of itself, small flourishes of guitar personifying the feeling of “war intensifies” until the metaphorical bomb drops and unleashes the chaos of a guitar solo. Chaos reigns with Crucifixation – a five-minute display of raw aggression. Much like its title, a portmanteau of crucifixion and fixation, the track itself becomes a concoction, though this isn’t as well-executed. Unadulterated thrash collides with melodious heavy metal in the reprise of Diablo to create something which could have been a single two or three-minute track. What starts as a strong contender for a highlight loses its way and becomes the moment we start eyeing the runtime.
Perhaps due to this, Tension and Everything I Hate About You boast much healthier runtimes. “Conscience has no meaning” sits well within the former’s murkiness. Lower registers draw the attention back in. The hyperbole of “hatred pulses through me” houses a wonderful juxtaposition with the simplicity of the instrumental taking a back seat. Meanwhile the latter’s less than 90-second runtime is what Crucifixation should have been: brash, blunt, and direct. Which brings us to the second track King wrote in June 2022: Toxic. “All I ever find is pure incompetence” is a notion anyone feels whether it be looking at the US government or the powers that be sat on this side of the Atlantic. The track settles into what King does well, a sticky groove-laden riff before rocketing into a guitar solo. For avid fans who may be looking for SLAYER Easter eggs, you may want to pay attention to Toxic in particular.
“Behold the armageddonist” claims Two Fists, a track which frankly falls short of the mark. While it matches the frantic energy of the catalogue, its disjointed nature leaves a lot to be desired. It’s difficult to see where the fault lies exactly, it’s just a mismatch from the beginning. When paired with lyrics such as “I’m complicated yet devoid”, we’re left to think these edgelordian ramblings should have remained on the cutting room floor. Rage follows the theme of Two Fists in terms of having the red mist descend, the difference being the organised chaos this track follows rather than throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. As we “anticipate the violence” and “obliterate the silence”, it’s clear Rage would do incredibly well in a live arena should it enter one.
Racing toward the crescendo, Shrapnel takes a turn for the indulgent. This is another five-minute track but instead of dragging for longer than it should, this tribute to dark 80s heavy metal is a joy to listen to from beginning to end. Marinating in the themes of war and the horrors surrounding it, the rolling drums into a booming bang of the war drum indicate this is indeed going to be a moment to behold. “I guarantee on death I feed” smacks of Repentless (2015). Stating that the track is indulgent before releasing it to the masses may have been a misstep for King as thrash and indulgence rarely combine well, though for those willing to place preconceptions aside, the gem of the album awaits. Finally we reach the finish line with the title track – a testament to how King rose from the ashes of SLAYER to extend the legacy further. “From Hell I rise to torch the skies” is King’s mission statement which is why it’s an odd move to have it at the end of the suite rather than the beginning. However, that’s a pedantic note; all in all, the title track gives everyone a little bit of what they want: the continuation of SLAYER.
It’s this notion we’re left pondering at album’s end. Does From Hell I Rise torch the skies as King intended? While it’s certainly an album we’ll go back to time and time again, there isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking, though another of King’s intentions is well met. This album is indeed an extension of SLAYER and perhaps what could have come had the band continued. It’s an amalgamation of thrash and heavy metal with some excellent execution. It is also a testament to why KERRY KING is one of the best guitarists our scene has ever seen. All in all it’s a welcome return from one of our world’s most esteemed musicians.
Rating: 8/10
From Hell I Rise is set for release on May 17th via Reigning Phoenix Music.
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