Kerry King (Slayer) offers a glimpse behind the curtain other artists rarely provide. The From Hell I Rise: Extended Deluxe Edition (Reigning Phoenix Music) gives us the original 13 tracks released two years ago, in addition to five demo versions of songs from this record.
The demos are: “Crucifixation,” “From Hell I Rise,” “Two Fists,” “Rage,” and “Trophies Of The Tyrant.” They include Kerry King’s own vocal tracks and shine a light on the raw, unpolished takes that show the demo phase of the production process; it has a kind of quality I don’t typically expect of demos.
Kerry King voiced that this project is, “not unlike Slayer,” and he was completely honest on this point. The album is aggressive, heavy hitting metal music that nods towards an old school mentality without sounding dated.
Lyrics focus on points of anger with various establishments, aiming to be anthems that burn it all down. King makes the kind of metal that pushes back and embraces something different.
In raising a middle finger to authority, King delivers the kind of record that scratches that rebellious itch. Guitar solos soar over the mix in ways that works so well with metal music. Whether up tempo and taking flight, or a slower death march, these songs are solid.
The record opens with “Diablo,” which is a quick instrumental that builds towards the first full song, “Where I Reign,” where we’re given the declaration that echoes the album title, “From hell I will rise.” The preemptive use of the word “will” suggests we’ll spend the album getting to that conclusion.
“Residue” opens with dry drums that start a slow marching buildup before a scream brings us to the first verse. This song explores the deterioration of whatever social fabric we pretend is holding this all together. Lines like, “I relied on this outdated system,” and, “I can’t find where liberty goes to die,” go hard enough to cause lasting damage.
“Toxic” offers another lyrical offering that goes against our social need to force our two cents on anyone who would give a crumb of attention. “Too many people/spend too much time/forcing their opinions/on other people’s lives,” feels like an anthem.
The opening of “Shrapnel” reminds me of Black Sabbath. The low tempo vibe of this one feels thick, dense, and even suffocating.
This record is something special, as it’s an expression beyond Slayer. Kerry King didn’t feel it was time to end that project, and this collection of songs feel like an extension of that legacy. King didn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, just take you further down the road, and the journey there is aggressively hard, as is tradition.
From Hell I Rise: Extended Deluxe Edition is a great record for the long time fan, as well as a solid introduction to new fans of the genre.
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Tracklist
Diabolo
Where I Reign
Residue
Idle Hands
Trophies of the Tyrant
Crucifixation
Tension
Everything I Hate About You
Toxic
Two Fists
Rage
Shrapnel
From Hell I Rise
Crucifixation (Demo: Kerry King on vocals)
From Hell I Rise (Demo: Kerry King on vocals)
Two Fists (Demo: Kerry King on vocals)
Rage (Demo: Kerry King on vocals)
Trophies of the Tyrant (Demo: Kerry King on vocals)
Lineup
Kerry King: Guitar/Demo Vocals
Paul Bostaph: Drums
Kyle Sanders: Bass
Phil Demmel: Guitar
Mark Osegueda: Vocals
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