It was a bit of a headscratcher when Slayer announced a trio of reunion shows this past February. The legendary thrash metal greats called it quits following a worldwide farewell tour in 2019, and by all accounts it looked like they were done for good.
However, just weeks prior to their return being announced this past February, guitarist Kerry King publicly spoke of the somewhat estranged relationship he maintains with Slayer vocalist/bassist Tom Araya. According to King, he and his aforementioned ex-bandmate hadn’t spoken to each other since that farewell show.
King was against breaking up the band in the first place, and has since spent the past several years working on his own solo outfit. That eponymous new venture finds him joined by Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, as well as members of Death Angel, HELLYEAH and more. However, in mere weeks after finally unveiling that group to the world, Slayer announced their live return.
Various allegations and accusations of the motivation behind Slayer‘s unexpected break from retirement would spill out over the internet in response. Araya‘s own wife claimed to have harassed him for over a year to resurrect the band, something he was allegedly reluctant to do at first.
In a new Metal Hammer cover story, King admitted that the timing of the Slayer announcement was not his “favorite”, given how it overshadowed the launch of his fledgling solo band. However, he also remained adamant that these three shows won’t signal a full-fledged return.
He was quoted as saying that this year’s reunion is, “not going to translate into recording and it’s not going to translate into touring. For me, it’s three shows marking five years since our final shows, a fun, ‘Hey, remember us from before the pandemic?’ celebration.”
Furthermore, despite the upcoming reunion it seems that the personal lines of communication between Araya and King remain closed, with King revealing to Metal Hammer that at the time of the interview, he still had yet to speak with him. He explained of that:
“It’s not like I’m angry with him or anything. We’re very different people, and we evolved into business partners at the end of the day. He has very different interests from me, and very different outlooks. Does that make me hate him? No. But I don’t need to talk to him every day… We just don’t have much in common. When it comes time to rehearse, I’ll have no problem showing up. We’re professionals, and that’s what we do.”
As it stands, Slayer‘s live return will play out across the following festival stops this fall:
09/22 Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
09/27 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
10/10 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock
King‘s solo debut album “From Hell I Rise” will be out in roughly two weeks time with a May 17th release date scheduled. His immediate touring plans for that include:
05/07 Chicago, IL – Reggies
05/09 Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville
05/16 Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
06/03 Tilburg, NET – 013
06/04 Enschede, NET – Muziekcetrum Enschede
06/05-08 Solvesborg, SWE – Sweden Rock Festival
06/05-08 Gdansk, POL – Festival Mystic
06/07 Nurburg, GER – Rock am Ring
06/08 London, UK – Electric Ballroom
06/09 Nurnberg, GER – Rock im Park
06/11 Hamburg, GER – Grosse Freiheit 36
06/12 Berlin, GER – Huxleys
06/13-16 Nickelsdorf, AUT – Nova Rock
06/14-16 Donington, UK – Download Festival
06/15 Hradec Kralove, CZE – Rock For People
06/18 London, UK – Electric Ballroom
06/20 Dessel, BEL – Graspoop Metal Meeting
06/19-22 Kauhajoki, FIN – Nummirock
06/26 Viveiro, SPA – Ressurreicao do Metal Festival
06/27 Clisson, FRA – Hellfest Open Air
06/28-30 Helsinki, IN – Tuska
06/29-30 Lisboa, POR – Evil Live
07/01 Barcelona, SPA – Razzmatazz 1
07/02 Madrid, SPA – Sala la Riviera
07/04 Zurich, SWI – Komplex
07/06 Roma, ITA – Rock In Roma
[via Blabbermouth.net]
