Years in the making and its finally here, the legend Kerry King is back, and he has unleashed his latest prodigy on us, and this is a beast of a record.
‘From Hell I Rise’ is the creation spawned from one of Thrash’s greatest sons, and it does not disappoint.
The opening track, ‘Diablo,’ starts with an intro that then builds into a full-on thrash onslaught with plenty of complex audible narratives to feast upon. The album is jam-packed full of future classics, with each one standing on its own merits. That being said, each does manage to hold some resemblance to each of their album siblings, although they can never in any way be seen as blueprints of each other.
Each track on the album has an underlying aggressive and mature stature, each telling a different story, which then flows seamlessly into the next to create a solid journey from start to finish. King brings in differing elements to different tracks, ‘Residue’ has a drum intro, which then is layered with guitar feeds, which cultivates a haunting and mesmerising intro before Osegueda punches in his vocals to form an effective and muscular number. Previously released ‘Idle Hands’ is catchy and melodic, controlled in its release of the string work while the drums pound out a full on headbanging inducing backbone, ‘Trophies Of The Tyrant’ has a definite punk tinge to the thrash spine and develops into a mature track which is multi layered, from the catchy intro with harmonious vocals to guitar solos and blasting drum work.
‘Crucifixation’ has a controlled yet ferocious opening before it settles down into a genuine prime example of how a thrash anthem should be constructed, vocals are antagonistic and violent while the fretwork and skins which sit behind them are impressive and audibly mesmeric. ‘Tension’ is a short sharp shock clocking in at just over the two-and-a-half minute mark, which develops throughout from a measured slow intro with haunting vocals to a barbaric rendition of intricate six-string work and pounding bass scores. ‘Everything I Hate About You’ continues where ‘Tension’ left off and clocks in at 81 seconds and wastes no time in thrashing your head, subliminally commanding you to bang your head like back in the day when you had just discovered ‘Reign In Blood’ for the very first time.
‘Toxic’ has a melodious undercurrent, and Osegueda serves as yet another impressive vocal effort. Again, it has an undertone of a melodic and rampant addictive harmony, which will surely get any mosh pit moving on any given day. The solos are truly enchanting and are fine examples of King at his very best, piercing through the warfare and penetrating your soul with the very best thrash guitar work you will ever witness. ‘Two Fists’ exhibits another punk tinge to the main thrash core with the vocals being more angsty on it and the strings chunkier yet a little more subdued, that being said though it is still thrash at its finest.
‘Rage’ is an absolute killer on the thrash front, from the opening riffs and venomous vocals to the absolutely mesmerising solos and battering drum work. Bostaph is in his element on this track, and the guitars from Demmel and King intertwine with each other to raise one ungodly beast of a track. The whole track is reminiscent of the waltzers at the local fun fair, out and out speed, violence and aggression, which all tie together while spinning you around in a fit of rage.
‘Shrapnel’ is one of the slower tracks on the release and is powerful and boomy in its DNA. It is controlled and serves up episodes of quicker thrash injections in and amongst its mature and detonating core. The title track and album closer are simply glorious and decadent. The intro is beautiful and colourful, each faction of the Kerry King machine are utilised to their pinnacle, each demonstrating their skills to the absolute mastery that we all know them best for. The track illustrates true thrash delivered in all of its finery and served up on a silver thrash edged platter. Simply perfect.
This album demonstrates that King is far from done when it comes to delivering thrash to the entire planet and all who will listen. The Kerry King name alone may draw lots of comparisons from different camps in relation to his past, but this is an album that can more than happily stand alone on its own merit. King has employed some of the best artists in the metal world, and that is clearly evident on ‘From Hell I Rise’.
If this is a rebirth of one of the masters of their genre, then I, for one, cannot wait to witness the evolution. Simply put, this is perfection personified. Take a bow, Mr. King et al. You have done us all proud once again. Mind you, was it ever in doubt? Not in my eyes!
Check out the track Toxic, below:
Purchase the album here
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