“I can’t understand how the American people are okay with that”: Why Kerry King wrote about the repealing of Roe V. Wade on his new solo album
“The world’s a fucked up place. That’s why there’s no shortage of things for me to write about.”
Image: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty
Kerry King’s solo album, From Hell I Rise, is finally here, and one of its tracks takes aim at the US government and the overturning of Roe V. Wade – the controversial 2022 ruling to dismantle abortion laws.
The album is the first solo project from King, who decided after Slayer announced their retirement in 2019 (though they’re due to temporarily return to the stage for three festival dates this year), he wasn’t ready to stop.
One of 13 tracks on the new record, Toxic, explores political hypocrisy and was particularly inspired by the events that occurred in 2022. Speaking to Classic Rock in its new print issue, King says, “The world’s a fucked up place. That’s why there’s no shortage of things for me to write about.”
He adds, “Toxic was written right after the Roe V. Wade decision went down in America. Every Supreme Court justice [Donald] Trump appointed lied to get the job. I can’t understand how that happened.
“I can’t understand how the American people are okay with that. Trump divided the country, and it’s still divided. I don’t know what needs to happen to make that change. It’s certainly not going to be the 2024 election, because nobody cares about either one of those candidates.”
And his anger certainly shines through in the lyrics, one verse states: “To your face they lie / Unleash and overthrow / Legal rights denied / And fall like dominoes / Hide behind the cloak / To change your way of life / Liberty revoked / A target for all time”.
Check out the song below:
King’s new album was created with Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda on vocals, Slayer’s Paul Bostaph behind the drums, plus former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel and former Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders.
King will also be back with Slayer for Louder Than Life, Riot Fest and Aftershock in the US later this year.
Find out more about upcoming live dates for both Slayer and Kerry King.