Kerry King is releasing a deluxe edition of his debut solo album From Hell I Rise on June 19 via Reigning Phoenix Music, expanded with five previously unheard demo tracks featuring his own scratch lead vocals, new cover artwork by James Bousema, and additional photos.
In an August 2024 interview with The SDR Show, King described the demos as the first time those recordings had ever left the studio. Asked what his singing sounds like, he said: “I just sound like an angry white punk kid… I think it sounds kind of adolescent[-like].”
He added that most takes were first attempts: “Because I know how it goes — unless I stumble on enunciation or something. So, yeah, I knew how it went. I just put it on there so we had something existing. I knew I didn’t wanna sing because I can’t sing and play that much. The easy parts, yeah, but not like Zakk [Wylde, Black Label Society] or James [Hetfield, Metallica] does. They’re crazy vocalists that play crazy riffs underneath what they’re singing. I don’t know how they do it.”
On whether the demos might ever become a standalone release, King said: “Um, I’m not against it. If you ask me, like, what if Glenn Tipton sang all the Priest songs? Would you wanna hear it? I’m, like, that’s a weird scenario, ’cause it’s fucking Rob Halford. But I’d be curious. It’s intriguing.” He added: “We’ll see. And I’ll sing the next one, too. So it’s not like it’s going away.”
The earbook edition is limited to 666 copies worldwide, exclusive to Reigning Phoenix Music, and includes two LPs, a live CD, and a live Blu-ray of the band’s debut show at Reggies in Chicago. Pre-order it here.
Kerry King‘s band features Mark Osegueda (vocals; Death Angel), Phil Demmel (guitar; Machine Head, Vio-lence), Kyle Sanders (bass; Hellyeah), and Paul Bostaph (drums; Slayer, Testament, Exodus). From Hell I Rise was originally released in May 2024, produced by Josh Wilbur at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
