Kerry King Doesn’t Care If You Think His Solo Album Sounds Like Slayer

Kerry King has no interest in reinventing himself—and even less interest in what online punters think about it.

In a new interview with Brazil’s Rádio Kiss FM, the former Slayer guitarist made it clear: if you’re upset his solo project sounds like Slayer, that’s your problem.

“People want Kerry King to be Kerry King, I think,” he said. “To me, it’s people that are just haters on the Internet. They have an opinion about everything, and no one gives a shit about their opinion.”

Fair enough, I think.

King’s debut solo album From Hell I Rise is out soon, and while it’s technically a “solo” project, he says he never wanted it named after him. “I worked on [a band name] for years,” he said. “I couldn’t do it.” With tour dates booked and no name locked, they went with the obvious: his own.

The band features Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), Phil Demmel (Machine Head), Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), and former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph. So it’s not exactly a soft reboot.

Fans calling From Hell I Rise “Slayer on steroids” aren’t wrong, and King doesn’t mind the comparison. “I never set out to outdo Slayer,” he said. “These were just the next 12 or 13 songs I felt good about.” Still, he admits: “That record’s got teeth. It just rips out of the speakers.”

Every track was written by King, including the lyrics, mostly because they were done before Osegueda officially joined. King also handled scratch vocals on the demos—just in case. “I’ve got conviction when I sing, but I have no range,” he laughed.

He’s already working on album two. With over 10 tracks demoed, King says the goal is to keep things moving. No five-year gaps. “We wanna take the momentum of the tour and jump right into the studio.”

In other words: it’s no bullshit. No reinvention. Just more Kerry King doing exactly what he does best—riffs, speed, and not giving a shit what anyone thinks.