Slayer Officially Reunite, Announce First Shows
This is not a drill — Slayer have officially reunited and announced their first shows, which will take place later this year at Riot Fest and Louder Than Life Festival.
Slayer played their final show at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Nov. 30, 2019, but they're officially back, and Tom Araya, Kerry King, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt make up the lineup. Riot Fest is set to take place in Chicago, Ill. from Sept. 20 through the 22, and it will mark Slayer's return to the stage after nearly five years.
Buy tickets for Riot Fest here.
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The thrash legends also one of four headliners set to perform at Louder Than Life, which will take place over four days from Sept. 26 through the 29 at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Slipknot, Motley Crue and Korn are the other three headliners for the event.
See the full lineup and find out how to get tickets here.
So far, these are the only Slayer performances that have been announced, so it's unclear whether they're going to tour or release new music again. Their last album, Repentless, came out in 2015.
King recently announced his new solo band and his first album, and also shared that he hadn't spoken to Araya since their final show in 2019. However, it seems that has changed.
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“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” said Araya in a press release, “and to be honest, we have missed that.”
"Have I missed playing live? Absolutely," King added. "Slayer means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them."
Stay tuned for further details as we find out more information about Slayer's return.