In 2019 the speed/thrash metal world mourned the retirement of one of the best bands to come out of the California metal scene of the 80s, Slayer. With the passing of songwriter/guitarist Jeff Hanneman in 2013 and the band parting ways permanently with original drummer Dave Lombardo, guitarist Kerry King and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya were the last OG members standing. The band released their last record Repentless in 2015 with drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt.
The band hit the road in 2019 for a final tour before disbanding. Kerry King, it seems, wasn’t ready to hang up his spiked arm bands just yet. So he put together a new band which included Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda, guitarist Phil Demmel, bassist Kyle Sanders, and Paul Bostaph once again on drums. The result is From Hell I Rise, an old school thrash metal album that will scratch that Slayer itch for those missing the metal titans and the classic thrash of the 80s heyday.
The album opens with “Diablo”, an instrumental that lands at just under 2 minutes. We then go right into the punishing “Where I Reign”, an all out assault on the senses and whiplash-inducing headbanger. Death Angel’s Osegueda lays down a vicious barking vocal that does a good job of capturing the Tom Araya howl but with a more blood-curdling screech. King’s guitar chops haven’t waned, continuing to be one of the best metal rhythm guitarists in the business. Demmel, Sanders, and Bostaph fill the gaps nicely. “Idle Hands” is another scorcher, bringing to mind those South Of Heaven days. A precision metal blow to the frontal lobe.
There’s not much variety here, but when you put an album like From Hell I Rise on you’re not looking for moments of quiet reflection. You want to be bruised, bloodied, and beaten by razor riffs, nuclear drum blasts, and bloody spittle sprayed on the mic. King and Slayer weren’t about acoustic interludes. They were about speed and songs about serial killers and Satanic imagery. Kerry King’s band are sticking to that mission statement to the letter. Songs like “Crucifixation”, “Everything I Hate About You”, “Rage”, and title track “From Hell I Rise” will put you through the ringer. No mercy because you don’t deserve it.
Kerry King’s From Hell I Rise won’t be for everyone. If you weren’t a fan of albums like Reign In Blood, South Of Heaven, God Hates Us All, or World Painted Blood then this won’t change your opinion. But if you pine for those classics, and the wicked riffing of classic 80s thrash metal then Kerry King has an album for you.
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