Kerry King

Kerry King co-founded Slayer in southern California in 1981 alongside Jeff Hanneman, and spent nearly four decades as the band's second guitarist and a principal songwriter, from the early speed-metal records through the group's farewell tour in 2019. His playing style — blunt, tremolo-heavy soloing and short, blocky riffs — became one of the more recognisable sounds in American thrash, as did his shaved head and tattooed arms.

After Slayer stopped touring, King put together a band under his own name and released the album From Hell I Rise in 2024, with Death Angel's Mark Osegueda singing and longtime Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph behind the kit. The material stays close to the template King helped build: fast tempos, dry production and few concessions to melody.