See First Photo Of KERRY KING's New Band

Former SLAYER guitar tech Warren Lee has shared the first photo of Kerry King's new solo band.

King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", will be released on May 17. All material for the LP was written by the guitarist, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL) on vocals. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

Earlier today, Lee took to his social media to share a couple of photos from the Henson sessions and he wrote in an accompanying message: "I can finally talk about this…..

"I retired from touring in 2019 went on to get settled into a life in one place, home. Last March, I got an unexpected call from the homie himself. He needed me in LA since his usual tech, Anders was busy doing another tour. A few weeks later I was on a flight out to Los Angeles and headed to the locker to dust off the gear and get it up to speed to use for the recording. We spent 2 weeks at Henson Studios and this shit came out amazing.

"Very proud to have been a part of this. Once again, thank you to @kerrykingmusic for always believing in me and letting me be a part of some really cool shit.

"Today you get to hear the first single 'Idle Hands'. Today is also my best friend and Kerry's old tech @buttscrump birthday. What a coincidence. Happy birthday homie. We miss you.

"Congrats and good luck to the homies. Go give this song a listen!!!"

King told Rolling Stone of the LP's first single: "'Idle Hands' are what I've been doing the last four years. That and 'From Hell I Rise' have been my frame of mind in the last four and a half years."

As for the decision to call the band KERRY KING, the guitarist explained: "It was going to be KING'S REIGN for a long time, which is really cool. But even with that one, I went to the guys, like, 'I'm not a vain dude. I don't want my name to be a part of it.' We talked about BLOOD REIGN for a while, but it didn't work. Every time I came up with anything remotely cool, it was taken by some obscure band in Eastern Europe. It became KERRY KING because I love that logo."

King said the album is about "various religious topics, some war entries, heavy stuff, punky stuff, doomy stuff, and spooky stuff, with Herculean speeds achieved," adding, "If you've ever liked any SLAYER throughout any part of our history, there's something on this record that you'll get into, be it classic punk, fast punk, thrash, or just plain heavy metal."

King added there's more to come, too. "Even with a record in the can, I've still got so many songs that need to be finished," he said. "This is what I know how to do…number one being music, number two being metal. It's been a part of my life for 40 years, and I'm nowhere near being done."

Photo credit: Andrew Stuart