NEWS OF A Slayer reunion of has astonished – and, for the most part, delighted – the world of extreme metal. The Californian four-piece retired in 2019 following an extensive worldwide farewell tour. And that was that. Or so we thought. Now, amazingly, Slayer have announced that they will play three festival dates in the US in September and October.
Only a month before the announcement of their return, straight-talking guitarist Kerry King had given an explosive interview to Rolling Stone in promotion of his debut solo album Idle Hands (due on May 17). King used the platform to explain that after almost four decades of being bandmates, he and frontman/ bassist Tom Araya hadn’t communicated at all since the split. “Not even a text. Not even an email,” the guitarist told writer Kory Grow.
Araya’s wife Sandra is taking the credit for Slayer’s reunion, saying that without her it “wouldn’t have happened”. “Tom was done with playing,” Sandra said. “I have harassed him for over a year. He agreed finally. We shared that news with Slayer’s awesome managers and they did the rest.” DL