SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and his new solo band will hit the street for the 28-date North American headline tour in early 2025. With MUNICIPAL WASTE as particular visitor and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, the tour is about to launch in San Francisco on January 15, 2025, and wrap at Home of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.
King and MUNICIPAL WASTE guitarist Ryan Waste caught up over Zoom to debate the tour and far more for Heavy Consequence‘s “Two For The Street” video sequence. Talking in regards to the upcoming trek, Kerry stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We leap on the probability to tour wherever. So, we had been fortunate sufficient to do the MASTODON/LAMB OF GOD summer season [2024] run within the sheds. That was actually cool as a result of these dudes, we had a giant half in each these bands’ early historical past, so for them to reciprocate and provides me a shot, I assumed that was tremendous cool and tremendous humbling. In order that was rad. However now we get to return again and headline the States.”
Referencing the truth that he has been dwelling in Manhattan for the previous three years and that three of his bandmates in his solo group — guitarist Phil Demmel, drummer Paul Bostaph and vocalist Mark Osegueda — stay within the San Francisco Bay Space, King added: “We’ve not performed in New York Metropolis but. And that is my new hometown, in order that’s bizarre. We’ve not performed the Bay Space but. So we’re gonna be hitting some locations for the primary time on this band, which is gonna be superior for the hometowners like Phil, Paul and Mark from the Bay space and me from New York Metropolis. After which all of the locations I’ve referred to as dwelling — L.A., we’re taking part in L.A. We end up in [Las] Vegas. So I will probably be seeing numerous associates on this run, and all people’s fired up.”
As for which songs King would possibly add to his band’s set on the upcoming headlining tour, Kerry stated: “[I’m] nonetheless engaged on the setlist and set size as a result of I do not need folks to get burned out with two heavy hitters taking part in in entrance of us. I do not wanna keep up there too lengthy as a result of once you play thrash, I really feel there is a restrict to how lengthy you need to play.”
King additionally talked about how touring has modified within the 4 a long time since SLAYER hit the street for the primary time. He stated: “I have been doing this so lengthy. Once we began out, within the very starting we had a U-Haul and possibly my van. After which after we went out on our first U.S. run, we had a U-Haul and Tom‘s [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] Camaro. Then we graduated to a U-Haul and a passenger van. And we had been all taking turns driving the silly factor again then. After which, with [SLAYER‘s] ‘Reign In Blood’ [album], we lastly acquired a bus, and we had by no means even thought-about it earlier than. We had been, like, ‘Oh, yeah. I suppose we made it ‘trigger we acquired a bus and we are able to get lodge rooms and we are able to get our personal lodge room. We do not gotta room collectively.’ So, that was a commencement again then. And now, one of many issues I did not wanna come again too early for is as a result of I needed all of the nonsense from COVID to go away. I needed all of the promoters and venues to get by way of all of the stuff that I did not wanna must really feel out once more. I simply needed all that to go by earlier than we got here again.”
King added: “One unhealthy factor that folks might not know and why ticket costs are so excessive lately is as a result of when the pandemic got here round, all that shit exploded. All the things went up [in terms of cost] — buses went up and every part simply plateaued. After which after we began touring once more, the buses and every part stayed costly. So, you possibly can curse promoters and venues all you need, but it surely prices cash to return round, sadly. And it isn’t as low-cost because it was 5 years in the past, by far. So it is cush, it is comfy, we’ll have a very good time, but it surely’s all a way to what the poor followers must pay on the finish of the day.”
King‘s debut solo album, “From Hell I Rise”, was launched in Might 2024. All materials for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the periods at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles final yr was producer Josh Wilbur, who has beforehand labored with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, amongst others.
Becoming a member of Kerry in his new band are Osegueda, Demmel, Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and Bostaph.
In early Might 2024, the KERRY KING band carried out its first stay present at Reggies in Chicago. Within the days following, the band went from taking part in an intimate venue to performing on the large U.S. festivals Welcome To Rockville (Florida) and Sonic Temple (Ohio).
KERRY KING launched a European tour on June 3, 2024 — King‘s sixtieth birthday – in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The trek mixed headline reveals within the U.Ok., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain but in addition competition appearances reminiscent of Rock Am Ring, Hellfest, Tuska, Obtain, Sweden Rock Pageant and lots of extra.
The SLAYER guitarist’s solo band performed its first live performance because the help act for LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON on July 19 on the Texas Belief CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. The six-week “Ashes Of Leviathan” tour wrapped on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Photograph credit score: Andrew Stuart