Kerry King, 21st June 2023, Hades, Copenhell Festival, Denmark

Photo: Goran www.urbanmescalero.com

When Slayer played their final concert in 2019 it was clear that band’s guitarist Kerry King was not ready for retirement and that wish to put Slayer to rest was mostly driven by band’s singer/bassist Tom Araya. The rumours of Kerry King starting a new band started circulating quickly, but it took almost four years for the lamely named band (also according to King) to surface with their debut album.

Slayer’s drummer Paul Bostaph joined his boss together with Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda, former Machine Head and Vio-lence guitarist Phil Demmel and former Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders.

Kerry King’s debut at Copenhell has Slayer written all over it because even Demmel played with the band at some shows when Slayer’s guitarist Gary Holt was unavailable. That’s perhaps what got him this job as well. Slayer’s looming shadow gets even bigger after listening to Kerry King’s debut From Hell I Rise as does the fact that Slayer is coming back out of their retirement to play some festivals. So much for that farewell tour.

Kerry King’s Copenhell performance was placed on the second stage, which gave the audience more of an intimate experience. Kerry King (you, know the band) started off with a few new songs and halfway through them the sound was corrected and by the time they played “Two Fists” the balance between the instruments was completely intact, with Sanders’ bass getting surprising representation. It suited the band.

If you know Osegueda from his main band, then you know he’s a very competent singer and forntman. With King his vocal approach is more of Araya than Osegueda from Death Angel, which is pity. Not only because there is so much more to his vocals, but also because him channeling his inner Araya, doesn’t really make this less about Slayer.

And speaking of Slayer, the crowd was also served three Slayer covers, which worked just fine, and truth be told, involved the audience the most. Osegueda did his best to get the crowd going, while the rest of the band had more of that “another-day-at-the office” attitude to them. Bostaph’s playing is just as in-tact as you’d hope, and Demmel did his job professionally as well, without really impressing.

Much like the band’s debut album, this show was a lot about something else, which this band is not, but is in a way trying to be. Experiencing these gentlemen in such a fairly intimate setting is an experience in itself and much like the album this was done well, but never became something more than that.

SETLIST:

1. Where I Reign
2. Trophies of the Tyrant
3. Toxic
4. Two Fists
5. Idle Hands
6. Residue
7. Disciple
8. Crucifixation
9. Shrapnel
10. Raining Blood  
11. Black Magic
12. From Hell I Rise