American Carnage dates re-scheduled!

SLAYER and MEGADETH are thrilled to announce the new, confirmed routing for the "American Carnage" North American Tour, which will commence with the rescheduled "Canadian Carnage East" dates in Quebec City on Friday, July 23. SLAYER will then head to Europe for a run of festival dates, returning to kick off the "American Carnage" leg in Albany, NY on August 11.

"American Carnage" will play 26 dates across the United States and Eastern Canada up to the Labor Day weekend, ending in Portland, Oregon on September 4. TESTAMENT will be special guest on all shows. Tickets purchased for the "American Carnage" shows when they first went on sale late last year will be honored for these rescheduled dates.

Due to venue availability and other conflicts, the shows originally scheduled in El Paso, Houston, Nashville, Duluth, and Louisville cannot be rescheduled at this time, and ticket holders may obtain refunds at point of purchase. However, new cities have been added to the "American Carnage" itinerary, with dates now scheduled in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento.

Check out the full tour schedule in the Tourdates section.

Slayer lose grammy to Judas Priest

Slayer were nominted with "Hate Worldwide" for "Best Metal Performance" in last nights Grammy Awards. This time they lost the grammy to Judas Priest with a live version of "Dissident Aggressor".

New interview with Dave Lombardo

SonicExcess recently conducted an interview with Dave Lombardo where he talks about Tom Araya's health and the possibility of recording a new Slayer EP in 2010. Check out the interview here.

Slayer confirmed for Sweden Rock Festival

Slayer have been confirmed to play at this years "Sweden Rock Festival" in Sölvesborg in the south of Sweden. The festival takes place from June 9th to June 12th. As always check out our Tourdates section for full details.

Slayer grammy nomination - this sunday!

As we reported in early December last year, Slayer have been nominated for a grammy award in the "best metal performance" category with "Hate Worldwide" from "World Painted Blood". The 52nd annual Grammy Awards take place this sunday night, January 31st in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS from 8.00 - 11.30pm (ET/PT). For more info check out Grammy.com.

The other nominees in the "best metal performance" category are:

Judas Priest | Dissident Aggressor (from "A touch of evil live")
Lamb Of God | Set to Fail (from "Wrath")
Megadeth | Headcrusher (from "Endgame")
Ministry | Senor Peligro (from "Adios...")

More re-schedulded tourdates & new festivals

It's going to be a hot summer for Slayer fans in europe, today more re-scheduled tourdates have been announced (Switzerland & France). Also alot of new festivals are confirmed, including Rock im Park & Rock am Ring in Germany, aswell as the German With Full Force Festival and the Sonisphere Festivals in Romania, Greece & Turkey. Check out the complete european tour schedule in the Tourdates.

New video interview with Dave & Kerry

Check out an interview with Dave & Kerry talking about the "Big Four Shows", Kerrys problems with Dave Mustaine and lots more.

European tourdates re-scheduled

Californian thrashers SLAYER have announced the rescheduled dates for their U.K. headlining tour, with Sweden's THE HAUNTED as support. The trek will kick off on May 26 at the 02 Academy in Leeds, with the band playing seven headline shows, ending with two in London. All tickets for the original shows are valid.

SLAYER's original tour dates had to be postponed due to bassist/vocalist Tom Araya's ongoing treatment for what was diagnosed as a cervical radiculopathy, an occupational hazard for the rocker who is known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing. Originally, Araya opted for a series of minimally-invasive procedures, and while they resulted in some improvement, they didn't entirely remedy the severe pain, numbness or muscle spasms that Araya continued to experience. Consequently, Araya made the difficult decision to undergo a surgical procedure, called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, a relatively routine practice with an excellent recovery rate.

"I think that his just making the decision to have the surgery has helped improve the way he feels," said longtime SLAYER manager Rick Sales. "While no one wants to go under the knife, his doctors are very confident about this procedure taking care of the problem once and for all."

The german, italian and netherlands tourdates have been rescheduled as well, unfortunately the show in Dresden (Germany) has been cancelled! More dates will be added as they surface!

Check out the Tourdates for the complete tour schedule.

Tour Update: Hold on to your tickets!

SLAYER have issued the following brief update:

"While Tom is at rest working on his recovery, the Slayer team is working hard to reschedule all postponed shows!

For all your fans with tickets to the American Carnage, Canadian Carnage, and UK/EU shows: Hold on to your tickets, more information will be coming your way!

Thanks for all of your support."

Slayer, Megadeth & Testament on cover of "Decibel Magazine"

Slayer, Megadeth & Testament are featured in the February issue of "Decibel Magazine". The magazine features a preview of the tour which has unfortunately been postponed recently. You can get your copy here.

Slayer cancel all tours - US & Europe

California thrash metal legends SLAYER have been forced to cancel all of their immediate tour plans — including the American and Canadian Carnage tour dates with MEGADETH and TESTAMENT that were set to kick off on January 18, as well as the band's European headline tour scheduled for March and April.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Araya, known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing, began experiencing back problems while on the band's Australian/New Zealand/Japanese tour last October. In spite of his rapidly increasing pain and discomfort, he carried on with the tour, but immediately upon returning home saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed a cervical radiculopathy. The rocker initially did not want to take the major surgery route, so the specialist recommended a series of minimally-invasive procedures. While those procedures have resulted in some improvement, Araya continues to deal with intermittent bouts of severe pain, numbness and muscle spasms.

"Tom gave various medical treatments more than a fair shot," said SLAYER's manager Rick Sales, "but they just haven't handled the problem, so he's biting the bullet and is scheduled for back surgery at the end of this month."

The surgical procedure that Araya will undergo, called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, is a relatively routine practice and the recovery rate is excellent.

Booking agents for both SLAYER and MEGADETH are already hard at work rescheduling tour dates for summer 2010; tickets already purchased for all shows will be honored at the rescheduled dates.

Sales added, "As unfortunate as this is for so many people — the MEGADETH and TESTAMENT camps, the concerts' promoters, and, of course, the fans — Tom's health is the number one priority, and this has to happen."

Slayer members to take part in "NAMM Jam"

Revolver magazine will present the "Dean Guitars 2010 NAMM Jam" concert featuring COLLECTIVE SOUL, L.A. GUNS, as well as members of SLAYER, ARCH ENEMY, TESTAMENT, and more — on January 15 at The Grove Of Anaheim in Southern California. Tickets for this special show, hosted by Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN, HELLYEAH), will be given away to Winter NAMM attendees during the annual music conference held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Doors open at 6 p.m., with music starting at 7 p.m.

Slayer confirmed for germanys "Wacken Open Air"

Slayer have been confirmed to play at the infamous german "Wacken Open Air" taking place in Wacken, Germany from August 5th to August 7th 2010. As always check out the Tourdates for a full tour schedule.

"The Big Four" also confirmed for Switzerland

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax have also been confirmed for the Swiss edition of the "Sonisphere Festival". The show will take place on June 18th at the Degenaupark in Jonschwil. Other bands on the bill are Heaven & Hell and Motörhead. (Tourdates)

Slayer, Megadeth & Testament talk about "American Carnage"

As you all know Slayer, Megadeth & Testament will tour north america in January and February 2010 (Full Tourdates & Ticket Info). Recently the members of the three bands talked about the upcoming tour, check out the video here.

Slayer & Testament members on "Metalopolis" radio show

Tom Araya and Chuck Billy (Testament) will be on Oregons Rock 101.1 FM KUFO radio station this Saturday (December 19th). The interview will be a part of the "Metalopolis" radio show, you can listen to the show at www.kufo.com Saturday night from 10pm.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax on one stage

It has been confirmed that Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax will share the same stage at the following "Sonisphere Festivals":

June 16th: Warsaw, Poland
June 19th: Prague, Czech Republic

For full details check out the Tourdates.

Official press-release:

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The world wide web has been abound with speculation on a possible “BIG FOUR” tour for several months. Now, SONISPHERE can exclusively reveal that METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will play together for the first time in history, in a move that will have metalheads across the globe frenzied with excitement.

Says LARS ULRICH/METALLICA of this historic announcement: "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time...what a mindfuck! Bring it on!"

“It's about fucking time this happened,” said SLAYER’s KERRY KING. “and about time the fans finally get what they want. This is fucking awesome.”

ANTHRAX guitarist SCOTT IAN agrees, commenting on the enormity of the announcement.

“People have been talking about these four bands playing together since 1984. That's twenty-six years of expectation!!! And the thing is, I believe not only will we live up to the expectations, we will shatter them!! No other four bands as influential as the four of us have ever done this. Imagine if The Beatles, Stones, The Who and Zeppelin had done shows? Or Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Motorhead? Well, I may be getting into some rarified air here but as a fan, that's how big I feel this is.”

These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement to dominate the metal world in the 1980s, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. The metal giants have never before all shared the same stage, despite huge demand. But on 16th June 2010, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will take to the SONISPHERE stage at Bemowo Airport, Poland, to make the dreams of headbangers the world over become a reality. A second Big Four appearance is planned for SONISPHERE CZECH REPUBLIC three days later, with more SONISPHERE shows featuring the awesome combo to be announced in the coming days and weeks.

“This is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for Heavy Metal “Fans” to see the four greatest Heavy Metal “Bands” in American History back together on one stage” concludes MEGADETH mainman DAVE MUSTAINE. “If there are any heads left at the end of this Festival that haven’t banged, they don’t belong there.”
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Slayer added to several european festivals

It has been confirmed that Slayer will be playing some shows which are part of the "Sonisphere Festival" tour taking place next summer across europe. Confirmed shows so far:

June 16th: Warsaw, Poland
June 19th: Prague, Czech Republic
July 30th - August 1st: Knebworth, UK
August 7th: Stockholm, Sweden
August 8th: Pori, Finland

Slayer have also been confirmed for the Austrian "Novarock" festival taking place from June 11th to June 13th in Nickelsdorf. For a complete detailed listing please check out the Tourdates.

There are more festivals to be announced in the next days, so keep checking back!

Slayer nominated for a grammy award

Slayer are among the nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards which will take place on Sunday, January 31st 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Slayer are nominated in the category "best metal performance" with "Hate Worldwide" from their latest album "World Painted Blood". Other nominees in that category are:

Judas Priest | Dissident Aggressor (from "A touch of evil live")
Lamb Of God | Set to Fail (from "Wrath")
Megadeth | Headcrusher (from "Endgame")
Ministry | Senor Peligro (from "Adios...")

One more date added to the "American Carnage"

One more date has been added to the "American Carnage" tour, the show will take place in Glen Falls, NY on February 12th 2010. Click here for the full tour schedule.

Tom Araya's condition getting better

According to Slayer manager Rick Sales "Tom continues to recover and is improving more and more every day, so I think by the time January 18 rolls around, he'll be ready for some carnage."

American Carnage: Slayer, Megadeth & Testament on tour!

Slayer, Megadeth and Testament will tour the US in early 2010! The complete tourschedule is available here. Watch the video press release here. Check out the official press release:

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SLAYER. MEGADETH. Two names synonymous with fierce, crunching power. Two bands whose histories are inevitably intertwined in defining the thrash/metal genre. Individually, their respective prowess and accomplishments are impressive; but together, they're brutal and unstoppable. MEGADETH and SLAYER will join forces to co-headline "American Carnage", the most blistering, the most explosive, and the most eagerly anticipated mega-tour of the winter — and you do not want to miss it.

"American Carnage" will kick off on January 18 in Seattle, Washington for a 26-date trek across North America that will include the six Canadian dates postponed earlier this month. Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, November 20. Ticketmaster is offering a special presale for most shows from Wednesday, November 18 at 10am until Thursday, November 19 at 10pm.

"American Carnage" is the first time that SLAYER and MEGADETH will have toured the U.S. together since 1991's epic "Clash of the Titans" tour. To celebrate that and in recognition of the tough economic times that many of their fans are having, MEGADETH and SLAYER have decided to roll back the price of a chunk of tickets at every U.S. show to the "1991 price" of $10.00. These specially-priced tickets will be limited and when they're gone, they're gone. MEGADETH has also teamed with iloveallaccess.com to provide an Ultimate Fan Package including premium seats, meet and greets, pre-show parties and more.

In addition, TESTAMENT — who was also on the "Clash of the Titans" bill — will be special guests on the entire tour, marking the first time that all three bands have shared a stage together in more than 18 years, and making this a "must see" metal event.

SLAYER and MEGADETH have already massacred territories together outside of the U.S. — first with four explosive dates in June, 2009 across Western Canada - "Canadian Carnage" — marking the first time the bands had shared a stage anywhere in 18 years; and then six co-headlining "Carnage" dates in Australia followed in October.
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Rescheduled Canadian Carnage dates

Slayer have rescheduled the Canadian Carnage tour with Megadeth & Testament, check out the full tour schedule here.

Slayer postpone european tour!

It is with immense disappointment that SLAYER must postpone its U.K. and European tour that had been set to kick off on November 18 in the U.K., and take the band on 19 dates through Europe, ending on December 17 in Germany. The tour will be rescheduled to kick off on March 7 in Manchester, England (Full tourschedule here).

"Vocalist/bassist Tom Araya has been under the care of a specialist for a back injury, and while he has already made substantial improvement, he is continuing on with doctor-prescribed treatment."

"Right now," said SLAYER's manager, Rick Sales, "our main concern must be the full and permanent recovery of Tom, so we have decided to clear the calendar and give him the extra time he needs to concentrate solely on good health."

Check out the full re-scheduled tourdates here.

Dave Lombardo: UK tour will go ahead

Dave Lombardo has told Classic Rock magazine that the band's upcoming UK tour (tour schedule) is definitely happening.

There have been fears that, following bassist/vocalist Tom Araya's recent back operation, these dates might have to be cancelled.

Says Lombardo: "We did have to put out of a Canadian tour with MEGADETH because of Tom's situation. But, as far as I'm aware, the British shows will go ahead. Of course, Tom's health must take priority. However, he's making good progress, so we'll see everyone soon!"

World Painted Blood chart update

The following first week chart entries are known so far:

Australia: #9
Austria: #13
Canada: #8
Denmark: #21
Finland: #12
Germany: #7
Ireland: #38
New Zealand: #16
Netherlands: #15
Norway: #15
Switzerland: #14
United Kingdom: #41
USA: #12

Slayer hit #12 on US Billboard 200

Slayer's "World Painted Blood" made it to #12 on the Billboard 200 selling 41,264 units in its first week. Slayer's last album "Christ Illusion" reached #5 in 2006 making it the highest chart entry ever for Slayer.

"World Painted Blood" will enter the german charts this friday on position #7. That's the second best position for Slayer ever achieved, only beaten by "Christ Illusion" which made it to #2 in 2006. Other new positions include New Zealand at #16 and the UK at #41.

Update: The earlier reported #14 for "World Painted Blood" was just an estimate with not all sales calculated. The #12 spot however is the final position.

Various Slayer interviews

Kerry King @ SPIN.COM
Dave Lombardo @ Bravewords.com
Dave Lombardo @ Australias "1700" (Video Interview)

World Painted Blood chart update

"World Painted Blood" will enter the german charts this friday on position #7. That's the second best position for Slayer ever achieved, only beaten by "Christ Illusion" which made it to #2 in 2006. Other new positions include New Zealand at #16 and the UK at #41.

World Painted Blood chart entries:

Australia: #9
Germany: #7
New Zealand: #16
United Kingdom: #41

US Tour Rumor: Slayer, Megadeth, Testament

SLAYER, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT and HIGH ON FIRE are rumored to be teaming up for a U.S. tour starting in February 2010. It should be noted, however, that this information has not yet been corroborated by an official source.

Update: MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover has refuted rumors that the band will embark on a U.S. tour in February with SLAYER, TESTAMENT and HIGH ON FIRE. Writing on MEGADETH's official forum, Drover, states, "Rumors are just that. [There is] no truth to this [rumor] at all."

"World Painted Blood" selling well

According to Hits Daily Double, World Painted Blood is headed for between 35-40,000 units in sales in the US, guaranteeing the band another Top Ten album on the Billboard charts. Slayer's last album, Christ Illusion, hit #5 in the US in August 2006, improving on its previous highest charting album, Divine Intervention, which had debuted at #8 in 1994.

Slayer postpone Canadian Carnage II & Jimmy Kimmel

It is with great regret that SLAYER announces the postponement of its "Canadian Carnage" tour with MEGADETH, which was due to begin on November 8. In addition, the band announces the postponement of its appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", which had been set for this Wednesday, November 4. More information will be released shortly regarding the rescheduling of the Canadian dates, as well as the "Kimmel" appearance.

SLAYER's Tom Araya is currently under the care of a specialist for a back injury, thought to be related to his on-stage activity, and the physician has ordered an immediate surgical procedure to take place in Texas tomorrow (Tuesday, November 3) morning.

"What is foremost in our minds right now is that Tom do whatever he needs to to get this taken care of," said SLAYER's Kerry King. "While all four of us are disappointed that we won't be able to see through all of our commitments set for the next few weeks, the most important thing is Tom's health. We thank the fans in Canada and here in L.A., the MEGADETH camp, and everyone associated with 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' for their understanding. We look forward to seeing you all soon."

SLAYER's Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo are looking forward to meeting their fans at a previously announced in-store appearance this Wednesday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the Hot Topic store located at the Hollywood and Highland complex.

Update: The whole tour has been postponed! It Is most likely that the tour will be rescheduled in the new year!

Slayer discuss "Not Of This God"

The final track "Not Of This God" is discussed by Slayer at this location.

For an overview of songs already discussed by the band check out our World Painted Blood page. For every song with this symbol behind it there's an video available.

Kerry King in-store appearances in Canada

Kerry King has scheduled the following in-store appearances during the Canadian Carnage II tour:

November 11: Montreal, QC @ Steve's Music
November 12: Quebec City, QC @ Musique Richard Gendreau
November 13: Toronto, ON @ Steve's Music

Slayer discuss "Playing With Dolls"

"World Painted Blood" track 10 this time, check it out here.

For an overview of songs already discussed by the band check out our World Painted Blood page. For every song with this symbol behind it there's an video available.

Slayer hijack Myspace for the Halloween weekend

Official press-release:

It's going to be a very scary Halloween weekend at MySpace Music, thanks to SLAYER.

Starting tonight at Midnight, Slayer will commandeer the site's Music Home Page and brand new Music Video Home Page (didn't work for me - try this) for the entire Halloween weekend.

The first Slayer Halloween treat will be the exclusive premiere of Slayer's brand new album, World Painted Blood, which is due in stores next Tuesday, November 3rd. You've probably heard a few morsels from it - 'Psychopathy Red', 'Hate Worldwide', and the title track - but now you'll be able to hear 'Snuff', 'Public Display Of Dismemberment', 'Not Of This God', and 'Beauty Through Order' - the whole thing, start to finish and on demand - until Tuesday when you can own your very own copy. Check out the Slayer Myspace page to listen to the complete album.

But if you really want to get creeped out this Halloween, then check out the video graphic novel Playing With Dolls, which will be exclusively available for viewing on MySpace Music only through the weekend, and then on Tuesday as part of the World Painted Blood Deluxe Edition.

No mere music video, the 20-minute Playing with Dolls was created and directed by Mark Brooks (Metalocalypse) and is a stark, 12-part nightmare that breathes corrupt life into Slayer's latest syllabus of stalkers, psychopaths and serial killers, merging their aberrant psyches into the supremely focused desire of a single, merciless malcontent. A methodical distillation of one man's lethal frenzy, the film follows the gruesome outbursts of a nameless protagonist. He is not an indiscriminate murder junkie, but rather a highly creative snuff-artist with a deeply personal sense of purpose - a man for whom murder is the only conceivable way forward. With a black heart hardened by tragedy, he chooses his victims carefully. His methods are as grisly and varied as they are poetic.

To complete this seizing of MySpace Music, every slot on the MySpace's Music Video Homepage will be filled with Slayer music videos, shout-outs, digital clips of the band providing some behind-the-scenes perspective on World Painted Blood, and other terrifying tidbits.

Pictures of the "World Painted Blood" retail versions

Received my copies today and made some pictures of them for those of you who are interested.

Deluxe version:

Regular version:

Complete lyrics for World Painted Blood can be found in the Lyrics section or directly through the World Painted Blood page.

A special note for all german Slayer fans. The special edition will only be sold to persons over 18 years of age due to the content on the "Playing With Dolls" DVD!

"The Haunted" to support Slayer

According to the promoters Slayer will be supported by Sweden's "The Haunted" on their upcoming european tour. Check out the full tour schedule here.

See Slayer at Jimmy Kimmel Live!

400 lucky fans who purchase "World Painted Blood" at any of the 10 participating Los Angeles-area Best Buy stores will receive two wristbands that will gain them access to the outdoor "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" audience to see SLAYER's special performance.

The stores are:

West Los Angeles, 11301 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064
Porter Ranch, 19929 Rinaldi Street, Northridge, CA 91326
Burbank, 1501 N. Victory Pl, Burbank, CA 91504
Culver City, 10799 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Atwater Village, 2909 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Westwood, 10861 Weyburn Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
West Hollywood, 1015 N. LaBrea Avenue, W. Hollywood, CA 90046
Simi Valley, 1173 Simi Town Center Way, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Sherman Oaks, 4500 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Northridge, 19350 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91324

As you may know Slayer are doing an in-store appearance in L.A., click here for details.

Slayer discuss "Americon" & "Psychopathy Red"

Watch Slayer discuss "Americon" here and "Psychopathy Red" here.

For an overview of songs already discussed by the band check out our World Painted Blood page. For every song with this symbol behind it there's an video available.

Watch Slayer on "That Metal Show"

On October 9th Dave & Kerry were guests on VH1's "That Metal Show". Check out the appearance of Kerry and Dave here and watch them comment on various CD's.

Tom Araya interview from Australia

Utopia Records did an interview with Tom Araya while Slayer were on tour in down under. Watch it here.

Slayer confirm L.A. instore appearance

Slayer will be at Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic (located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028), CA on November 4th @ 3.30pm.

Beginning on November 3rd, purchase the Slayer CD, World Painted Blood, or any Slayer t-shirt at the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic and receive a wristand that guarantees the opportunity to meet the band on November 4. One wristband per person. Space is limited. One autograph per person.

Slayer discuss "Human Strain"

It's time for song number 7 from World Painted Blood, "Human Strain". Click here to watch the video!

For an overview of songs already discussed by the band check out our World Painted Blood page. For every song with this symbol behind it there's an video available.

Slayer discuss "Public Display Of Dismemberment"

It's time for song number 6 from World Painted Blood, "Public Display Of Dismemberment". Click here to watch the video!

Slayer discuss "Hate Worldwide"

Slayer discuss song number 5 "Hate Worldwide" from "World Painted Blood". Watch the video at Ultimate-Guitar.tv.

"World Painted Blood" soundsamples @ Amazon US

Amazon USA has also posted soundsamples for every "World Painted Blood" song at this location.

This month in Slayer history

A busy month in Slayer history, let's check out what happened in the past...

This month in Slayer History:

October 7th 1986 - Reign In Blood is released
October 9th 1990 - Seasons In The Abyss is released
October 22nd 1991 - Decade Of Aggression is released
October 3rd 1994 - Divine Intervention is released
October 1998 - "Human Disease" is released on the "Bride of Chucky" Soundtrack
October 7th 2006 - Christ Illusion gets banned in India due to the controversial artwork

Sound samples for every "World Painted Blood" song

Amazon France has a 30 second sound sample for every song on "World Painted Blood". Just click on the song names and then on the "play" symbol.

You can also check out this Youtube clip with the sound samples all mixed together.

Slayer discuss "Beauty Through Order"

Slayer discuss song number 4 from "World Painted Blood", "Beauty Through Order". Watch the video at SPIN

Slayer to perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Slayer will perform on the ABC TV show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on November 4th (the show will air November 5th in the morning).

Slayer discuss "Snuff"

Watch Slayer discuss the third song "Snuff" from "World Painted Blood" here.

NY Times article about Slayer

A rather unusual but really good article about Slayer can be read at the NY Times Blog.

Slayer on "World Painted Blood" and "Unit 731"

Check out Noisecreep for an interview with Slayer discussing the title track "World Painted Blood".

Another video where the band discusses "Unit 731" can be found here.

Details about World Painted Blood bonus DVD

It was only a matter of time before Slayer's lyrics leapt off the printed page and made their wanton way to the visual medium. The band's discography is gorged with tales of mass murderers, serial sadists and drooling deviants of every stripe — vicious mental cases just begging for a cinematic reception.

Enter "Metalocalypse" director and big-time Slayer fan Mark Brooks who created a 20-minute DVD titled "Playing with Dolls", a 12-episode video-graphic novel that will be included exclusively in the "World Painted Blood" deluxe edition, out November 3 in tandem with the "World Painted Blood" standard edition. Inspired by the songs on "World Painted Blood" — in particular Jeff Hanneman's "Playing With Dolls", from which the horror short takes its title — the film blends elements of animation and still-photography into a visual style similar to that of a graphic novel. A trailer for the short can be viewed here. The soundtrack for the "Playing With Dolls" short features clips from all 11 of the songs on "World Painted Blood"; in addition, the music bed for episode No. 7 is taken from "Atrocity Vendor", a new song that is not on the album.

"It's not live action and it's not animated," Brooks explains. "It's a weird hybrid of the two, and I haven't seen a lot of things done this way."

No mere music video, "Playing with Dolls" is a stark, 12-part nightmare that breathes corrupt life into Slayer's latest syllabus of stalkers, psychopaths and serial killers, merging their aberrant psyches into the supremely focused desire of a single, merciless malcontent. A methodical distillation of one man's lethal frenzy, the film follows the gruesome outbursts of a nameless protagonist. He is not an indiscriminate murder junkie, but rather a highly creative snuff-artist with a deeply personal sense of purpose — a man for whom murder is the only conceivable way forward. With a black heart hardened by tragedy, he chooses his victims carefully. His methods are as grisly and varied as they are poetic.

"It's a little weirder than your regular blood n' guts type thing," Brooks says of the storyline, "which I think is a reflection of Slayer's music."

But make no mistake: There will be blood, and plenty of it. As the real-life boyfriend of one of the film's "victims" told Brooks after a private screening, "I almost threw up while I watching that. And I think that's a compliment."

Check out the trailer right here!

Dave Lombardo to release solo album in 2010

Dave Lombardo has plans to release a solo album next year. The album will be only drums and percussion and will have a world-music feel to it.

Slayer continue Australian tour

Slayer have continued their Australian tour today in Perth after being forced to cancel the show in Adelaide due to Tom's severe laryngitis. The setlist remained unchanged:

1. World Painted Blood
2. War Ensemble
3. Jihad
4. Psychopathy Red
5. Born Of Fire
6. Mandatory Suicide
7. Chemical Warfare
8. Ghosts Of War
9. Hate Worldwide
10. Disciple
11. Dead Skin Mask
12. Hell Awaits
13. Angel Of Death
14. South Of Heaven
15. Raining Blood

October 15th will see the band play "Reign in Blood" in it's entirety in Sydney. (Tourdates)

Slayer cancel todays show in Adelaide

Tom Araya was advised by his doctors not to perform todays show in Adelaide, Australia. He already had voice problems on the October 9th show in Melbourne. Slayer were allready on route to Adelaide and wanted to perform the show but were forced to cancel it. Megadeth however will perform their full show. (Tourdates).

The rest of the planned shows will go on as planned! Slayer extends an apology to their Adelaide fans for their cancellation, and ticket holders who no longer wish to attend can obtain a refund from point of purchase.

Tom Araya suffering voice problems

Apparently Tom Araya faced some serious problems with his voice at yesterdays show in Melbourne, Australia. Various reports say that he had lost his voice before the gig and alot of the Slayer songs were instrumentals or were sung by guys from the other bands. See Tom's announcement on stage in Melbourne here!

"Reign in Blood" show rumor

It has been rumored that Slayer will play their entire "Reign in Blood" album on one of their two shows in Tilburg, Netherlands. (Tourdates).

"Hate Worldwide" single to be released in the UK

Slayer will release a limited edition (1000 copies) one-track CD of "Hate Worldwide" on October 19th in the UK. The CD will only be sold through independent record shops. Check out a list of the stores on Slayer.net.

Kerry King interview @ 3 News

Kerry King has been interviewed by New Zealands "3 News" recently. There are 2 versions of the interview.

1. Uncut 15 minutes: Click here
2. 2 minute news bulletin: Click here

World Painted Blood release party

The official CD-release and listening party for SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be held on Friday, October 30 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York beginning at 9:00 p.m. Free "World Painted Blood" merchandise and autographed copies of the best-selling Decibel magazine to date — the SLAYER issue — will be given away at the 21-and-over event, for which there is no cover.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

Slayer & Megadeth kick off tour in Auckland

Slayer & Megadeth started their New Zealand/Australia tour yesterday in Auckland NZ. A review of the show can be found at the New Zealand Herald. The complete tour schedule can be found on the tourdates page.

Yesterdays setlist:

1. World Painted Blood
2. War Ensemble
3. Jihad
4. Psychopathy Red
5. Born Of Fire
6. Mandatory Suicide
7. Chemical Warfare
8. Ghosts Of War
9. Hate Worldwide
10. Disciple
11. Dead Skin Mask
12. Hell Awaits
13. Angel Of Death
14. South Of Heaven
15. Raining Blood

World Painted Blood title track streaming

The title track "World Painted Blood" from the upcoming album is now available for streaming on the MySpace page of Slayer.

World Painted Blood cover revealed

SLAYER's "World Painted Blood", the band's highly-anticipated new album set for a November 3 release (American Recordings), will initially ship with four special collector's edition CD covers. Each of the four covers will display one-fourth of a provocative continental map illustrated with human skulls and bones; when placed together, the four images form a complete and grisly map of the world (check out the World Painted Blood page).

All four of the initial CD packages will include a special blood-red, see-through top panel with the map displayed beneath it.

The "World Painted Blood Deluxe Edition" will have its own special layout of the map cover art and will be in a double-digipak housed in a blood-red, see-through plastic sleeve. The "Deluxe Edition" will include the "World Painted Blood" CD, the "Playing With Dolls" DVD, a 20-minute animated graphic novel featuring music from the album (including part of a new non-album song), and an expanded booklet.

Pre-order the regular version here and the deluxe version here.

Slayer + Megadeth play Canadian Carnage Part 2

It has been announced that Slayer and Megadeth will play another 5 dates in Canada. The tour kicks off on November 8th in Moncton and wraps up in Toronto on November 13th. Both bands will be supported by Machine Head and Suicide Silence. For full details check out the Tourdates. Tickets go on-sale September 18th!

European tourdates completed

Today the final dates of the european tour in the UK have been announced. Check out the complete listing in the Tourdates.

Slayer to play special "Reign in Blood" show in Australia

Slayer have announced a special one-time only show where they will perform Reign in Blood in it's entirety. The concert will take place on October 15th @ Big Top Luna Park in Sydney. Tickets go on-sale September 16th. Please note! This show is not part of the Slayer / Megadeth tour! For full details check out the Tourdates.

More shows for europe announced

Today another part of the european tourdates surfaced, you can find them in the Tourdates section.

More Japanese shows announced

Following this years appearance on the Japanese Loud Park Festival Slayer will play two more shows in Japan, check out the Tourdates for details!

Tickets will be on-sale through the Slayer Fanclub on September 19th, regular pre-sale begins September 26th.

European tourdates announced

A part of the european tourdates has surfaced, so far only dates for germany. Check out the Tourdates. More dates will be announced!

World Painted Blood official release date

The official release date for World Painted Blood will be Tuesday, November 3rd in north america and Monday, November 2nd internationally. This means the album will be released Friday, October 30th in Germany and Wednesday, October 28th in Japan.

There will be three different editions of the album: Limited edition CD with multiple CD covers, Deluxe edition CD/DVD, and a high-quality, 180-gram vinyl edition.

World Painted Blood Japanese Edition

The japanese edition of World Painted Blood will be released October 14th and will contain a bonus DVD with yet to be announced content.

New Tom Araya interview

KNAC.com has a new interview with Tom Araya speaking about the new album. Click here to read it.

"World Painted Blood" tracklist revealed

The tracklist for the upcoming Slayer album World Painted Blood (to be out in early October) has been revealed:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

A track by track review is available at this location!

Possible album release date

In a recent interview with Heavy Metal Source Dave Lombardo stated that World Painted Blood could be released in the first or second week of October. You can check out the full interview here.

It has also been rumored that World Painted Blood will be released September 25th in Germany, still to be confirmed!

More interviews

1. SMNews: Dave Lombardo | Click here
2. BackstageAxxess.com: Dave Lombardo | Click here

New single "Hate Worldwide" streaming NOW!!!

Last October, one of SLAYER's brand new songs, "Psychopathy Red", leaked online, and since then the song has been streamed more than a half-million times. Nine months is a long stretch to go without a new SLAYER track, so the band is making available another morsel from their upcoming album, "World Painted Blood", due out later this year. The limited-edition single, a Kerry King composition, is titled "Hate Worldwide", and will be available exclusively as a CD-single at Hot Topic stores beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28.

You can preview the track NOW at Shockhound.com.

Slayer + Megadeth to tour Australia & NZ

Slayer and Megadeth will continue touring together, this time in Australia and New Zealand! Check out the Tourdates for a detailed listing!

Best dual guitar team in metal

Slayer have been nominated for "best dual guitar team in metal" on MSN.com. Go ahead and vote for Jeff and Kerry by clicking here.

Dave Lombardo interview

Dave Lombardo recently gave an interview to The News Tribune. In the interview he says that Slayer are bascially taking off from "Seasons in the Abyss". Check it out here.

"World Painted Blood" more details revealed

Slayer have released a digital press release with some details about the upcoming album World Painted Blood.

Click here to watch it!

Kerry King in-store appearances

Kerry King will do some instore apperances during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at selected B.C. Rich retailers, co-sponsered by EMG Pickups. Kerry will be at 11 stores where you'll be able to talk with him and get your stuff signed.

Kerry King in-stores:

July 10 - Guitar Center, Sacramento, CA 1:00 p.m 916-922-2132
July 11 - Guitar Center, San Francisco, CA 1:00 p.m. 415-409-0350
July 14 - Guitar Center, Seattle, WA 1:00 p.m. 206-287-9100
July 17 - Raptor Guitars, Phoenix, AZ 2:00 p.m. 602-243-8579
July 23 - Guitar Center, Atlanta, GA 5:00 p.m. 404-320-7253
July 26 - Guitar Center, Chicago, IL 1:00 p.m. 773-248-2808
July 30 - The Music Farm, Orrville, OH 5:00 p.m. 330-682-5595
Aug. 03 - Guitar Center, Boston, MA 5:00 p.m. 617-247-1389
Aug. 07 - Guitar Center, Cherry Hill, NJ 2:00 p.m. 856-755-9511
Aug. 11 - Guitar Center, Tampa, FL 2:00 p.m. 813-801-9290
Aug. 13 - Guitar Center, Dallas, TX 5:00 p.m. 214-692-9999

New song titles revealed!

Gary Graff of Billboard.com recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King about the band's forthcoming album, "World Painted Blood", which is scheduled for release late summer via American Recordings/Columbia Records. Songtititles set to appear on the CD include "Psychopathy Red", "Beauty Through Order", "Unit 731", "Playing with Dolls", "Public Display of Dismemberment", "Americon" and the title track.

Check out the full interview here.

Also you might want to check out our World Painted Blood page here.

Dave Lombardo on "World Painted Blood"

Dave Lombardo recently gave an interview to KNAC.COM talking about the upcoming album, check it out here.

Photos from "Canadian Carnage"

Pictures from the June 24th show in Vancouver can be seen here.

Slayer to headline Wacken Rocks festivals

Slayer will headline the two Wacken Rocks festivals in Germany. The first one will be Wacken Rocks South in Kreuth near Munich on August 28th, the second one will be Wacken Rocks Seaside in Aurich near Hamburg on August 29th. Check out the Tourdates.

Slayer to film video / Columbus show cancelled

Slayer will film a videoclip for a yet unknown song from their upcoming album on July 27th. As a result of that the headlining show on that day in Columbus was cancelled. (Tourdates)

Slayer @ Japanese Loudpark Festival

Slayer have been confirmed for this years Loudpark Festival in Japan. The festival takes place on October 17-18th at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo. Other bands on the bill are Judas Priest and Megadeth. Check out the Tourdates page.

Headline show added

Slayer have added a headliner show during the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour. This show will take place on July 27th in Columbus, OH. Check out the Tourdates page. Show has been cancelled!

"World Painted Blood" new album

The new Slayer album will be entitled World Painted Blood and will be released in the late summer. World Painted Blood was produced by Greg Fidelmann who also produced "Death Magnetic" by Metallica. The album will feature "Psychopathy Red", a song Slayer already played last year on their Unholy Alliance III tour.

In other news Anamaria Araya, Tom Araya's 55 year old sister died due to cancer on June 1st.

Kerry King interview

Kerry King recently spoke to Blabbermouth about the upcoming album. According to King the album will be alot like Seasons in the abyss. Read the full interview here.

Tom Araya video message

Tom Araya recently released a video message for the "national day of Slayer", check it out on their website www.nationaldayofslayer.org.

No July release for forthcoming album

The new Slayer album won't see a July release as reported earlier. It is highly likely that the album won't be released this summer. As it's always been with previous releases, they get delayed and so on.

Release date for the new album

Obviously the new, yet untitled Slayer album will be released on July 7th 2009 in the US, that would be right in time for the Mayhem Festival Tour (Tourdates). A July 7th release date in the US would probably mean an release date in europe a few days earlier, maybe around July 3rd. I'll keep you updated!

International day of Slayer

Remember the "National day of Slayer" on June 6th 2006? Well they're back with the "International day of Slayer" and it takes place on June 6th 2009. Check out their website at www.nationaldayofslayer.org.

Tickets for the upcoming shows

All tickets for the upcoming shows in Canada (Canadian Carnage) and the USA (Mayhem Festival) can now be ordered through our Tourdates page.

Slayer & Megadeth to tour Canada

Slayer, Megadeth, Machine Head and Suicide Silence have teamed up for the Canadian Carnage tour taking place in June. Check out our Tourdates page for full details!

Tickets for Slayer tour on-sale now!

Tickets for this years Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour including Slayer are on-sale now! You can buy your tickets right through our Tourdates page.

New Kerry King interview

A new phone interview between Kerry King and Club Kingsnake is available. Hear Kerry talk about the upcoming tour, the new album and his snakes. Check it out here.

Slayer in the studio

In a recent interview RollingStone.com has revealed that the new, yet untitled Slayer album will contain 11 songs. Lyrics are still to be written, the band has been in the studio for 5 weeks only. The album is expected to be released this July, Slayer fans know that this could mean October or later haha.

Tom Araya interview

Tom Araya was interviewed at this years Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards on April 7th in Los Angeles. Tom Araya and Kerry King presented the "Best Live Band" award to Slipknot. Check out the interview here.

Band interview

The band has recently been interviewed by Filter magazine, discussing all their albums and the Slayer history. Check out the seven-part interview:

1. Part #1
2. Part #2
3. Part #3
4. Part #4
5. Part #5
6. Part #6
7. Part #7

"Psychopathy Red" to be released as a single

"Psychopathy Red" will be released as a 7" single as a part of the third annual Record Store Day. Only 5.000 of those singles will be available, they'll be exclusively sold at participating record stores. Check out www.recordstoreday.com for a full list of stores. The 7" red vinyl single will be packaged in a special Russian evidence envelope as the song was inspired by Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo (The Rostov Ripper) who murdered 56 children.

News about the upcoming album

Tom Araya recently spoke to "Artisan News Service" about the upcoming album.

"This new album is coming together really well," he said. "We've been in the studio now for four weeks. I think four or five weeks and it's coming across together, you know it has all the SLAYER elements. I don't want to compare it to but it has very 'Christ Illusion'-type songs. You know, it's in that vein but there's also fast songs, l mean, [the recently released song] 'Psycopathy Red' — that right there should give you an example of the broad spectrum of SLAYER music is going to be on this album."

You can watch the full video here.