Slayer reunite and announce first live shows in five years

nme.com:

Slayer are getting back together for their first live appearances in half a decade.The thrash metal legends announced their retirement in 2019 and marked the end of their near-four decade career with a lengthy farewell world tour.Until now, a Slayer reunion had been looking rather unlikely, especially since Kerry King had announced a solo album, ‘From Hell I Rise’, just weeks ago.

He had previously described his new endeavour as “an extension of Slayer”.Hopes of a reunion were also dashed when King told Rolling Stone that he said he could “pretty much say a hundred per cent no” to the chances of it happening.

He also mentioned that he had not spoken to co-founder Tom Araya since Slayer’s final show, whereas he had been in contact with the band’s other members.Now, in a surprise turn of events, Slayer will be headlining two festivals this September, namely Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, and Riot Fest in Chicago.The line-up will be the same as it was when the band ended, featuring co-founders King and Tom Araya, guitarist Gary Holt (also of Exodus) and drummer Paul Bostaph.A post shared by Slayer (@slayerbandofficial)“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” Araya said in a statement [via Revolver]. “And to be honest, we have missed that.”King added: “Have I missed playing live?

Absolutely. Slayer means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them.”King previously expressed regret over the end of Slayer, admitting in 2021 that he thinks they “quit too early” and he hated not playing music.He echoed that sentiment in another interview last year, telling Metal Hammer that the split was.