In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Kerry King disclosed the lineup for his solo project, while also reflecting on why Pantera’s Phil Anselmo was not chosen to front the band.
The guitarist is set to release his debut solo album, ‘From Hell I Rise,’ on May 17 through Reigning Phoenix Music. The album features a notable cast of musicians, including Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda on vocals, longtime Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, former Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders, and ex-Machine Head and Vio-lence guitarist Phil Demmel.
Stepping Away From Slayer’s Shadow
This lineup is rounded out with Josh Wilbur, known for his work with Lamb of God, adding his skills to create a powerful metal album with 13 songs. King’s choice of band members was a deliberate effort to distinguish his new project from his Slayer roots, as he said:
“I knew Paul was going to be with me. My original intent was to have [Slayer guitarist] Gary Holt, but the farther I got away from Slayer, the more I thought people would call this band ‘Slayer Light’ or ‘Baby Slayer.’ They’re going to say that anyway, so I didn’t need to fuel that fire. There was no falling out between me and Gary.”
Decision Against Anselmo
Anselmo was a top contender for the vocalist role in King’s solo project. Despite heavy backing from management, promoters, and the record label, King felt Anselmo was not the right fit. The musician explained:
“My management, my promoter, my record label all wanted Phil. Phil’s a good friend of mine, but I always thought he’s not the right guy. That has nothing to do with his ability; I just knew he wasn’t the right guy. When you hear Mark on this record, you know that’s the guy.”
Addressing The Pantera Factor
Kerry added the following, referring to his careful consideration in choosing the right vocalist for his solo project:
“I had to do due diligence because, at the end of the day, had Philip been the guy, we’d be in arenas immediately because we could play new stuff, we could play Pantera, we could play Slayer, and fans would’ve been happy. It ended when the Pantera thing came up.”
King believes fans who enjoyed his music with Slayer will also enjoy his new album ‘From Hell I Rise.’ He mentioned in a chat with Heavy Consequence that the album sounded a lot like Slayer because he wrote it all, similar to how he wrote much of Slayer’s music. He also appreciated how the producer, Josh Wilbur, managed to capture a sound that’s very close to what King’s live performances sound like.
