SLAYER guitarist Kerry King made his first live appearance in nine months on Saturday night (July 4), leading his solo band through a 16-song headlining set at the Miller Lite Oasis stage during Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. King stepped into the slot after MEGADETH withdrew from the date, citing scheduling conflicts.
The set drew from King's 2024 solo debut "From Hell I Rise" alongside a run of SLAYER staples, including "Repentless," "Disciple," "Raining Blood" and "Black Magic," and closed out with a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Wicked World."
King's touring band is stacked with familiar names from across the metal scene: vocalist Mark Osegueda of DEATH ANGEL, guitarist Phil Demmel of MACHINE HEAD, bassist Kyle Sanders of HELLYEAH, and drummer Paul Bostaph, King's longtime SLAYER bandmate.
With the live comeback out of the way, King is turning his attention to a second solo album, for which he says he already has enough material. "I would love to record before New Year's and then just give it to the record company and say, 'Whenever you want, there it is,'" he said, laying out a loose but confident timeline for the follow-up to "From Hell I Rise."
Asked whether the new record might lean further into the punk influences that have occasionally surfaced in his songwriting, King didn't rule it out: "it wouldn't surprise me if that shows up 'cause it's part of my history." He also praised producer Josh Wilbur's work behind the desk, singling out his speed in the studio: "His skill at the Pro Tools rig — he's so fast."
A new tour in support of the eventual album is already being planned for early 2027, giving King a full year to write and record before hitting the road again. For now, the Summerfest date serves as a reintroduction — proof that after nine months off the stage, King and his crew of scene veterans can still deliver a set built as much on SLAYER's legacy as on his own solo material.
No word yet on whether MEGADETH's scheduling conflict will affect other dates on their summer run, but for Milwaukee fans, King's band turned an unplanned lineup change into one of Summerfest's heavier surprises.